Times of Tonbridge 9th January 2019 by One Media

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Times OF TONBRIDGE

COMMUTERS ‘RIPPED OFF’ – AND THEN THERE’S THE SOCIAL COST Page 2

BATTER BY FAR: THE FINEST PUB FISH AND CHIPS IN BRITAIN?

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Wednesday January 9 | 2019

PERSONAL GROWTH ON WEST KENT MIND ALLOTMENT

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Police seek witnesses after pensioner killed

FRIENDS REUNITED

Lisa Stokes (left) with Basil and his owner Julia Rabbitt; Ms Stokes found the cocker spaniel after an appeal on social media went viral. Turn to page 2. PHOTO: Kerry Barton/Studio 23

THE police are appealing for information from the public after a pensioner from Tonbridge was killed by a car in Tunbridge Wells. Serious Collision investigation officers are appealing for witnesses to the fatal collision, which took place on Chapman Way in High Brooms near its junction with North Farm Road. The incident occurred at around 8.20am on Friday [January 4]. The deceased, who was in his 70s but has not been named, was hit by a grey Land Rover Freelander.

Arrested The Air Ambulance Kent Surrey Sussex attended but the man was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the vehicle, a man in his 50s from Tunbridge Wells, was arrested on suspicion of causing death by careless driving. He has been released pending further investigation. Officers are trying to establish the circumstances of the collision and are calling on anyone with dash-cam footage in the area to contact them. Please call 01622 798538 quoting reference 04-0270 or email sciu.td@kent.pnn.police.uk

Murder victim was struck on head in taxi By Andy Tong andy@timesoftonbridge.co.uk THE man alleged to have been murdered by his brother died in a taxi after a traumatic blow to the head. Carl Eldred, 33, is accused of killing his older brother Lee Eldred, from Tonbridge, near Hadlow Manor Hotel on Friday December 28. The father of two, from Little Footway in Langton Green, appeared at Maidstone Crown Court on January 3 to confirm his name, date of birth and nationality. He was further remanded and will appear before the same court to enter a plea on January 28. Judge David Griffith-Jones set a provisional trial date for June 10. Bail was refused and an inquest was opened. The court heard that the 36-year-old died from ‘a traumatic blow to the side of the head near the left ear’. The brothers, who were described as being ‘very close indeed’, are alleged to have had an argument in a taxi

on the A26 while returning from a night out with friends and family. Carl Eldred, who runs the Rocket Re-Finishing panelbeating business in Plaxtol, appeared by video link from Elmley Prison. The brothers’ father Trevor and Carl Eldred’s wife were among the family members who attended the court proceedings.

Very close Danny Moore, defending, said: “It is a real tragedy in many senses of the word. It is a highly unusual case. These two men were very close indeed.” The coroner’s office said Lee Eldred became unresponsive and CPR was carried out. Police and paramedics were called and attempts to revive him continued but he was pronounced dead at the scene. The post-mortem concluded that he died from a traumatic brain injury.

CHARGED Carl Eldred

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Wednesday January 9 | 2019

Town’s commuters ‘ripped off because they can afford it’

Social cost “In any case, there are pockets of poverty in and around Tonbridge, and people travel up to London to do jobs in low-paid professions like nursing and cleaning. “And if you compare us with commuters who go to London from Redhill, we’re paying far more.” Mr Reynolds warned the rising costs, allied to consistent problems with the service, meant workers might choose less environmentally friendly modes of transport. “The Treasury are doing their best to make train travellers pay as much as possible,” he said. “That ignores the social cost of more people using cars. “You’ve only got to stand outside Tonbridge station and if there’s no wind, the air quality and the fumes from the traffic are foul. “That puts pressure on the NHS, as does the severe stress of being stuck in traffic jams which raises the blood pressure. He believes the price increases are being used to fund hugely expensive high-speed projects. “We fear we are being used to subsidise HS1, which goes nowhere near Tonbridge,” he said. “They say that it will benefit businesses in the South East but I cannot see it.”

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HADLOW Village Hall will be transformed into old London town this weekend for the local pantomime about Dick Whittington and how he came to meet his famous cat. The show, which is being staged by the Hadlow Amateur Dramatic Society, features well-known show tunes as well as the traditional panto jokes, songs and dancing. There is a very big rat problem in the attic above Dick’s room, so he sets out to find a rat catcher and purchases Barnaby, a talking cat, for the price of one penny. With his friend by his side, Dick goes on to seek his fortune in London town, where he has been told that the streets are paved with gold. There will be performances on Friday [January 11] at 8pm and Saturday at 3pm and 7.30pm. Entry cost £8.50 for adults, £6 for children – and £6 for concessions on Friday night only. Tickets are available from Hadlow Pharmacy and Village Butchers & Store in East Peckham.

THE RAT PACK: (L-R) Chris Porritt as Idle Jack, John Sansome as Dame Merry Berry, Claire Harris as Connie, Tony Shoebridge as Mr Fitzwarren, Charlotte Campbell as Dick Whittington, Bob Brown as Jasper and Saffron Dawson McNally as Barnaby the Cat

Good-natured: How search for Basil showed positive side of social media PHOTO: Kerry Barton/Studio 23 Photography

THE New Year rail fare increases mean commuters travelling from the town to London are paying £15o per mile each year – almost double the sum for passengers further down the line. An average of 3.2 per cent has been added to season ticket prices, and for an annual fee of £4,364 from Tonbridge, the 29.1 mile journey carries a price tag of £149.7 per mile. In contrast, the 61.8-mile journey from Hastings at the end of the line into the capital costs £4,988 a year, which equates to £80.71 a mile. John Reynolds, chairman of the local pressure group Tonbridge Line Commuters, said: “Vince Lucas, the former boss of Southeastern, once told us they thought the market will bear higher fares per mile because there’s a greater degree of affluence compared with Hastings. “Up to a point, he’s right, but not as far as this sort of discrepancy,” he added. “We are being unfairly treated – we are being ripped off because they think we can afford it.

Streets are paved with gold for Hadlow panto

By Andy Tong andy@timesoftonbridge.co.uk A DOG owner says social media can be a force for good after her beloved pet Basil was found two days after going missing on New Year’s Day. Julia Rabbitt also paid tribute to the town’s community spirit after local people all over Tonbridge went out looking for him. Such is the power of Facebook, the eight-yearold pedigree cocker spaniel is now recognised in the street and has become a local celebrity. Basil ran off while out for a walk at 7.30pm on January 1 near the family home off the Ridgeway.

‘Now I go walking around and people come up and say “is that Basil?” He’s a bit famous’ He was found at 10.30am on January 3 by Lisa Stokes, who was visiting her parents nearby. She recognised Basil from Facebook postings as he was cowering around some garages on Helen Keller Close. Mrs Rabbitt said: “He ran out of the front door and up the road at the start of his walk, which is normal behaviour for him. My husband Arthur followed him but he had vanished into thin air. “Some young lads thought they had seen him get run over, then he ran off in a panic. He might have got disorientated and then lost.” The way Basil’s plight went viral was a great surprise. “My step-daughter said she’d tell her friend Scott Hards, who runs a Facebay shop and

HOUNDED BY FANS Basil has become a celebrity has hundreds of followers. The post was shared 3,500 or 4,000 times overnight.” “I had thousands of messages, I couldn’t keep up with it,” said Mrs Rabbitt. “I would turn my phone on and every time there would be 50 notifications – people telling me ‘we’re going out now to have a look for him’. “It was touching that everybody got behind it, that so many people were out looking. Facebook does have this positive side. “You think it’s a waste of time, everybody’s just on there moaning, but it was really very nice.” Not only did the campaign bring Basil back, he has his own fan club. “It went across the whole of Tonbridge and beyond,” said Mrs Rabbitt. “Now I go walking around and people come up to me and say, ‘is that Basil?’ He’s a bit famous. “It’s incredible, when I was shopping the other

day I met a friend who said, ‘I heard you got the dog back’ and the woman at the checkout said ‘oh, is that the dog that was on Facebook?’” She believes that the overwhelming support she received shows how the town rallies round in times of trouble. “I thought people wouldn’t care, they’re too busy with their lives. But the power of Facebook really did take me by surprise. “It’s not just negativity, it shows how the community of Tonbridge is so strong. There are some diamond people out there. “You realise the town itself is developing quite well with its community spirit, with all the new eateries and galleries. I’ve always lived around here and it’s a good place to be.” Although Mrs Rabbitt has been in the town all her life, she had only moved into her new house a month before Basil ran off. “Now we’ve got to know our neighbours and we feel like we belong,” she laughed. “It was an unpleasant thing to happen but it’s good to know how nice people are. “We are heartened by human nature. We’re absolutely over the moon.” Basil was examined by a vet, who found a tooth puncture mark on his back leg – possibly from a fox’s bite – and a cut on his paw. Mrs Rabbitt was concerned that as a valuable pedigree registered with the Kennel Club, Basil might have been stolen for breeding purposes. But she reckons that the social media presence would have acted as a deterrent. “A lot of people were worried he might have been taken. But because of all the publicity it makes thieves think twice because the dog becomes too hot to handle.”

Travel agent arrested over ‘theft’ from veterans A TRAVEL company has been accused of stealing thousands of pounds from a charity helping injured veterans. Black Tip Travel Ltd, which has been seeking insolvency advice, is alleged to have taken money set aside for flights to New Zealand paid by the charity Pilgrim Bandits to stage a bike ride. A group of 22 veterans included Britain’s most injured soldier, Lance Bombardier Ben Parkinson, a double amputee still serving with the 7th Parachute Regiment Royal Horse Artillery. They were due to fly out in October, but were told two days before their departure date that the tickets had not been booked. Kent Police said: “A 34-year-old man from Tonbridge was arrested on suspicion of theft and has been released pending further inquiries.”

The company, run by Dale Whitney, has denied any wrongdoing and blames the problems on a ‘simple error’ and ‘cash flow issues’. In September Black Tip Travel lost its membership of Advantage Travel Partnership and ABTA [Association of British Travel Agents].

Heavy losses It continued to trade but posted a statement on its websites last month saying the company is no longer taking any bookings. It said it was ‘going through some issues’, and blamed booking errors causing ‘heavy losses’. It added: “We are currently getting insolvency advice so we can work through these problems.” Action Fraud has received complaints from a

number of customers and passed evidence on to the National Fraud Investigation Bureau. Clients said they had paid thousands of pounds for long-haul flights but found that airlines and operators had no record of them. Black Tip, which was founded in June 2017, specialises in business class flights, corporate and luxury travel. Barry Gooch, chairman of Prevention of Fraud in Travel, said: “We are aware of the allegations against Black Tip Travel and have been working with all the relevant parties to make sure anything that appears untoward is investigated.” The Pilgrim Bandits went ahead with the venture using funds set aside for another trip. The veterans rode more than 1,500 miles down North and South Islands on modified tandems.

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Council apologises for failed waste collection FOLLOWING failed garden waste collection over Christmas, Wealden District Council, and its contractor Kier, have apologised for the inconvenience caused to residents. The council said garden waste collections should have occurred Christmas Eve but did not take place. The mix-up has occurred only weeks after the council confirmed that they will charge a £50 collection fee for garden waste in June 2019.

Blaze neighbour saved AN INDIAN takeaway owner from Tunbridge Wells helped rescue his 91-year-old neighbour from an accidental house fire. Khaled Miah, 30, part owner of Royal Spice in Camden Road, saw smoke billowing from his neighbour’s windows last Thursday (January 3) and dashed inside to help carry the stricken man to safety. The elderly neighbour was taken to Tunbridge Wells Hospital and has since been discharged.

Town oppose expansion GATWICK’S expansion plans have been opposed by Royal Tunbridge Wells Town Forum. The forum, a partnership between residents and ward councillors, say the airport does not undertake noise monitoring over the town, a major flight path, and has not been consulted on any plans to expand the airport.

Charity ICU drive LOCAL charity, The League of Friends of Tunbridge Wells Hospital, raised £3,800 in their Christmas raffle, most of which will now go on new intensive care equipment. Having spent some of the money raised to decorate the children’s ward at Christmas, the charity is putting the rest towards a £43,000 ultrasound device for guiding the insertion of lines into sick patients.

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AXA chief steps down after 17 years at the helm By Richard Williams THE CEO of AXA PPP, Tunbridge Wells’ largest private employer, stepped down on Monday after 17 years in charge. Keith Gibbs, who has been chief executive at the company since December 2001, is being replaced by Tracy Garrad, former CEO of HSBC Channel Islands and Isle of Man, and before that First Direct. Seventy-year-old Mr Gibbs, who has now retired, has steered AXA through some turbulent times, most recently in November when the insurance firm announced a restructuring programme, where 20 roles in Tunbridge Wells were transferred to Birmingham. Before joining the company, Gibbs was at Citibank Life, initially as Product Development Actuary and later as Marketing Director. He was Sales and Marketing Director at Lloyds TSB Insurance Keith Gibbs and has

also worked at Sun Life of Canada and Sentinel Life. He has also run his own management consultancy. Since arriving, Gibbs, a qualified actuary and mathematics graduate from the University of Kent, has successfully grown AXA PPP, establishing it as a market leader in the healthcare space, whilst also sitting on the Boards of AXA UK, AXA Insurance UK, AXA Global Health and AXA Venture Partners.

Future Chief Executive for AXA UK & Ireland, Claudio Gienal, said of Mr Gibbs retirement: “I would like to thank Keith for his excellent contribution over the years. “He has grown a strong business with an impressive financial performance and customer service focus whilst also developing innovative products to better meet our customers’ needs, putting in place some core foundations for the future. I wish him all the best for the future. “I am delighted that Tracy is joining AXA UK

‘Keith has grown a strong business with an impressive financial performance and customer service focus’ management team. “I very much look forward to working with her in the next phase for our healthcare business particularly as health continues to be a key strategic focus for the Group.”

and Ireland as our new AXA PPP healthcare CEO. She brings a wealth of experience in large, complex, customer and people centric businesses and this, along with her excellent leadership skills, will further strengthen our

Hacienda Classical to play Forest Live WILDLY successful clubbing crossover act, Hacienda Classical, is to play at Bedgebury Pinetum as part of Forest Live 2019. Hacienda Classical, a collaboration between former Manchester Hacienda club DJs Mike Pickering and Graeme Park, features a continuous live DJ mix with vocalists, choir, orchestra and guests all combined to recreate old school house and club anthems.

Award for Forum founder

New Tracks

CO-FOUNDER of music venue, The Forum, has been awarded a Civic Medallion by the Borough Council. Jason Dormon, who helped found the popular independent music venue 25 years ago, was awarded the honour by members of Tunbridge Wells Borough Council following a unanimous decision.

The performance will take place on Saturday June 15 at Bedgebury Pinetum as part of Forest Live, a major outdoor live music series held every summer by Forestry Commission England in seven locations. Graeme Park said: “I’m thrilled

PHOTO: Anthony Mooney

Wednesday January 9 | 2019

that we’ll be continuing the Hacienda Classical journey into 2019 and I’m already digging deep to find some new tracks for the new show. “There are also some tracks from previous years that I’m keen to bring back and to make even better based on everything we’ve learned with all the incredible gigs so far. I’m determined to make this year’s show even more exciting than we’ve had before.” Tickets for the event cost £38.50 (plus £4.35 booking fee) and go on sale at 9am Friday January 11 from the Forestry Commission box office, tel: 03000 680400 or buy online/ info: forestryengland.uk/music. FACE THE MUSIC Hacienda Classical performing at Glastonbury last year

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Lawyer awarded top French honour A TUNBRIDGE WELLS lawyer has been awarded the rank of ‘Knight of the French National Order of the Légion d’Honneur’, France’s highest order of merit. Olivier Morel, Olivier Morel a partner at law firm Cripps, has been included in France’s 2019 New Year’s honours list in recognition of his three decades of experience working with French businesses in the UK and fostering Franco-British cooperation. Others on the 2019 list of recipients include the World Cup-winning French football team.

Advocate Mr Morel, who is qualified in both French and English corporate law, said: “It is a huge honour that the French government has seen fit to recognise my work with the French and British business communities. “I am a passionate advocate of the bond of commerce and friendship between our two nations, so I also see this award as recognition of the importance of those historical links.” Olivier is the President of the UK chapter of the Foreign Trade Advisors UK, a French government think-tank on international trade, and sits on the worldwide board of the same body. He’s also a Vice President of the French Chamber of Great Britain. Cripps Managing Partner Gavin Tyler commented: “We are delighted that Olivier’s work has been recognised in this way. The firm is very active on the international stage, and his work with French businesses reinforces our commitment to international trade.”

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Police drop £100,000 computer programme used to fight crime By William Mata newsdesk@timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk KENT POLICE has ended a first-of-its-kind £100,000-a-year programme that used computer algorithms to detect crime trends. The force has revealed it called a halt to Predictive Policing in March, after four and a half years, because of a new policing model. The system earned comparisons with the Tom Cruise film thriller Minority Report when Kent became the first British force to partner with US company PredPol. Kent Police said it was hard to quantify the success of the programme as crimes that have been deterred are not recorded. Speaking to the Times, Superintendent John Phillips confirmed the partnership had ended as part of an ‘evaluation of options’.

‘Using historical data and an algorithm, it allowed officers to identify public spaces that would benefit from patrols’ “Kent Police became the first force in England and Wales to introduce Predictive Policing in December 2013,” he said. “Using historical data and an algorithm, it allowed officers to identify public spaces that would benefit from patrols. “While it did not predict crime, it was used as a preventative tool and supported the force’s focus at the time on neighbourhood policing.”

CRUISE CONTROL The programme earned comparisons with the 2002 Tom Cruise film Minority Report The programme was rolled out across the county after it led to a six per cent reduction in street violence during a four-month trial in north Kent in late 2012. Mr Phillips continued: “The launch of a new policing model that places victims and witnesses

at its centre has led Kent Police to evaluate alternative options which will support a focus on both traditional and emerging crime types. “Therefore, Kent Police has not renewed its contract with the current provider of Predictive Policing.”

Wednesday January 9 | 2019

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Missed appointments Councillor backs Bishop’s message could be costing Trust more than £1million By Richard Williams

By Robert Forrester MISSED appointments could be costing Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust (MTW) more than a £1million a year, data reveals. Figures released by NHS Digital last week showed more than 1.2 million GP hours are being wasted nationally each year by people failing to attend appointments, which could be costing NHS England around £216million, enough to fund 2,325 GP salaries. The latest figures from MTW, which include both new and follow-up appointments and covers the period

NO SHOW: A local GP surgery trying to reduce the number of missed appointments

from March 2017 to March 2018, show that more than 34,776 no shows occurred. “1 in 10 people miss their hospital appointment because they forget about them. This delays the patient’s treatment and increases waiting times for everyone,” said a MTW spokesman. While the Trust does not keep a tally of the cost of DNAs (Did Not Attend), NHS England said each appointment costs an average of £30, which could mean the Trust could be losing as much as £1,043,280, although the true price tag is hard to quantify. While figures show how many appointments were not attended, they do not reveal whether the time is actually wasted, as some GPs deliberately overbook. Additionally, missed hospital appointments for consultants and surgeons – who are typically on higher salaries than the average GP – could mean the cost of DNAs to the Trust are even higher. Dr Richard Vautrey, the GP committee chairman for the BMA (British Medical Association) said: “Every appointment at a GP practice is precious, especially at a time when GP services are struggling to cope with rising patient demand, staff shortages and inadequate budgets.”

A TUNBRIDGE WELLS councillor has backed the Bishop of Tonbridge’s New Year message, following six months of online abuse. Speaking exclusively in the Times of Tunbridge Wells on January 2, the Rt Rev Simon Burton-Jones the Bishop of Tonbridge called for more tolerance and understanding in online public debate. He said: “It would be great if 2019 could see an improvement in the way we debate with one another publicly about what matters. “Listening is out of fashion and the tendency to demonise people we disagree with and let the world know

DEMONISED: Cllr Tracy Moore has been a victim of online trolls for the last six months online is making for a harsher climate. Societies flourish where there is forgiveness and strangers are shown kindness.

Trolled

TWITTER: Cllr Moore’s words were backed by some but others saw it as an opportunity for further trolling

“Slowly, without noticing in our networked world, we are surrounding ourselves with people who think the same way we do. Brexit is only a symptom of this, not a cause. We no longer know what to do with opinions we disagree with.” Now Conservative Councillor, Tracy Moore, has backed the Bishop’s message, revealing the online abuse she has suffered in the last six months. Speaking on Twitter, she said: “As a Tunbridge Wells councillor on Twitter, for the last six months I’ve had personal experience of being demonised for positions I’ve taken.”

Mrs Moore, who is the Portfolio Holder for Economic Development and Communication at Tunbridge Wells Borough Council revealed that she had even been ‘trolled’ for opening a jobs fair or just when reading about saving the high street. “People elected are still people,” argued Mrs Moore. “Let’s all try to just be kind in 2019.” Her words were echoed by local Lib Dem Councillor Mark Ellis, who replied: “I agree. The way Tracy has been constantly attacked at a very personal level online is utterly wrong. “If you disagree with something the Conservatives are doing, attack the policy, not the person.” Unfortunately, even these words earned yet more online abuse, when a Twitter user going by the name of Greenbelly Jake, responded: “Oh, I didn’t realise Tories were people ...”

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Public urged to play greater role in helping police combat crime By William Mata KENT POLICE want the public to take a greater lead in reporting crime now that officers cannot attend every call. In his first media interview since becoming Chief Inspector for Tunbridge Wells and Tonbridge, Pete Steenhuis told the Times the importance of reporting suspicious behaviour. He said the force is locally battling problems of cybercrime, domestic abuse and drug gangs establishing what is known as ‘county lines’. All against a backdrop of reduced police budgets.

Prioritise “It has been a challenge,” said CI Steenhuis, who turned down a position with the Metropolitan Police to succeed Dave Pate as District and Sub-Division Commander. “We are doing less call-outs now. People have complained we have not come out, but we have to prioritise. People have found it hard to accept we do not attend everything, like we did ten years ago. We can’t do that any more. It’s

about managing the volume of expectation.” The Times asked which calls they would be less likely to now attend, and specifically if they would still attend burglaries and shoplifting. In response, Kent Police said call handlers are trained to prioritise calls where there is greater ‘risk of threat or harm’. “Our aim is to get to those priority calls as quickly and safely as possible,” a spokesman said. CI Steenhuis said all crimes are investigated and when immediate attendance is not required an appointment can be made to see the victim.

HOW WE ARE WORKING WITH VICTIMS AND VILLAINS TO TACKLE CRIME DOMESTIC abuse is being tackled by working with both perpetrators and victims, said Chief Inspector Steenhuis. Kent Police is partnering with West Kent charity DAVSS and said the issue is ‘right up there on our agenda’.

“One of the issues you have is with victims not being able to feel confident in coming forward,” said CI Steenhuis. “We want to break the cycle of abuse by encouraging victims to come forward. “We also have a programme

for perpetrators, it’s a 20-week course that teaches them how to behave. We want victims to feel massively supported.” The force has also backed partner help with problems often faced by children, such as bullying and drug use.

Wednesday January 9 | 2019

SIX PRIORITIES FOR POLICING…

Kent Police has previously listed its six key priorities for investigating crime. They are: Child abuse & exploitation; gangs; human trafficking & modern slavery; organised acquisitive crime; counter terrorism & domestic extremism; and domestic abuse, serious violence & sexual offences. But he would not be drawn on which crime Tony Blaker, Kent’s Deputy Chief Constable, types the police would be less likely to now attend. told the Times in November: “When a crime The Chief Inspector did not list the types of report is received officers will assess how best budget challenges faced, but these are known to respond based on the level of threat, risk to include:  From 2020 onwards UK police is reported to and harm associated with the offence. have £700million less every year to fight crime. “The priorities for Kent Police are set by the  The 2020/21 budget of £11.6billion is a 6% Police and Crime Commissioner in his Police and Crime Plan, Safer in Kent. drop from the 2017/18 figure of £12.3billion. “The force is then responsible  Officer numbers are expected to fall by for allocating resources to deliver around 3,000 to 120,217 nationally – with against those priorities. the overall workforce cut by 2%. “As well as delivering against Speaking to the Times last year, Chief the Police and Crime Plan, the Inspector Dave Pate identified county force control strategy determines lines as one of the biggest challenges operational priorities and takes currently facing the police. into account national His successor confirmed that policing issues and ‘it is always going to be an policing priorities issue’ because ‘drugs drive for Kent.” other crime’. He added: “If you see something is ‘However, high suspicious, please tell us,” harm impact said CI Steenhuis, who is crime that causes responsible for all 999 distress for victims and 101 calls as well as such as fraud and community safety and burglary are also of tackling crime trends. the utmost importance, “If it goes left unchecked, and this is reflected by before you know it we have how our resources are an issue. We have a county line allocated. set up. The more intelligence we “This strategy is get the better. reviewed yearly and “The worst thing is people will informs how we focus say ‘this has been a problem for our training and years’, so report these issues by Chief Inspector knowledge building.” going online.” Pete Steenhuis kent.police.uk

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Carluccio’s to pay staff ‘settled-status’ costs RESTAURANT chain Carluccio’s, which has a branch in Mount Pleasant Road, is paying for all its 1,550 non-British employees to apply for ‘settled-status’ after Britain leaves the EU. The group, started by the late Italian chef Antonio Carluccio, is to cover the £65 application fee required by all EU workers who have lived in the UK for five years or more. It is the first restaurant chain to do so. “There would be no Carluccio’s without one man making the journey from Europe to London,” said Mark Jones, CEO of the restaurant group. “It is what Antonio would have wanted.” SALE Outdoor store Millets is closing down

Two more town centre stores shut up shop TUNBRIDGE WELLS town centre was dealt another blow last week as two more shops put up posters signalling they were closing down. Both Millets and Cardmarket had closing down sale signs in their window after New Year, a time when stores are typically enjoying their January sales. It is a further blow to the beleaguered high street. Not only has BHS closed its doors in Royal Victoria Place [RVP], but in the last year the town has also lost Mothercare, Maplin, New Look, H&M Kids, Miss Selfridge, Jacques Vert and Cath Kidston, and only two weeks ago HMV announced it was in administration, causing uncertainty for the staff at the RVP branch.

Millets, the outdoor clothing and camping store in Camden Road, is selling off all its stock, offering discounts of 30-50 per cent off.

Competition The company is owned by Blacks Outdoor Retail, who themselves went it administration six years ago, but were saved by being bought by JD Sports. Cardmarket in the precinct, which is owned by WH Smith but faces direct competition from Cardfactory next door, is also offering discounts of up to 50 per cent. The company confirmed the business will close once its lease on the retail premises expires on March 12.

MIXED FORTUNES FOR RESTAURANT CHAINS Japanese chain Wagamama, which has a restaurant in Mount Pleasant Road, has dished up a 15 per cent rise in turnover just two months following its £559million takeover by The Restaurant Group. The Asian food eatery said last week that it has outperformed the UK restaurant sector with a 12 per cent surge in like-for-like sales in the second quarter, while adjusted earnings rose 18.7 per cent to £13.2million. Total turnover rose 13.7 per cent to £178.9million over the half-year, helped by five restaurant openings in the UK, taking the total to 134. The same fortunes are not being

enjoyed by The Ivy, whose Tunbridge Wells restaurant opened in 2017. The fine dining eatery chain, part of Richard Caring’s restaurant empire, recorded a meagre 0.8 per cent rise in turnover to £67.7million in the year to December 31, 2017, despite it being the 100th anniversary of its London outlet. The group said it had been hit by ‘significant increases in both rent and business rates’ as well as other cost rises, including wages. Pre-tax profit was up from £8.7million to £9.2million, but adjusted fell from £12.4million to £11.1million, while operating profit fell from £8.7million to £7.2million.

London Capital & Finance bank accounts frozen By Richard Williams A TUNBRIDGE WELLS finance firm has had its bank account frozen and been ordered to cease all regulated activity by the Financial Conduct Authority [FCA] due to unclear marketing material. London Capital & Finance [LCF], based in Eridge Park, had promised clients 8 per cent annual interest on their ISAs, but the FCA stepped in following concerns that the firm’s 14,000 clients may not have fully understood the nature of the investment they were making. The finance company had signed clients up to a fixed rate ISA but invested the capital in mini-bonds – unregulated investments that are not covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme [FSCS]. The mini-bonds were used to issue loans to small businesses. The regulator said that while mini-bonds are unregulated, and issuers do not need to be regulated, the marketing of such bonds does require authorisation. In a statement, the FCA has instructed London Capital & Finance to cease regulated activity and not to touch the money in its bank accounts.

The FCA said: “The FCA directed LCF to withdraw all of its existing marketing materials in relation to its fixed rate ISA or bond. “Following this intervention, the FCA required LCF to cease all regulated activities and not to dispose of any of its assets without prior consent of the FCA.

‘The FCA continues to work with the firm and relevant external stakeholders to take all appropriate steps’ “The FCA’s enforcement division are conducting further investigation. “The FCA continues to work with the firm and relevant external stakeholders to take all appropriate steps.” In a statement on its website, London Capital & Finance stated none of the companies it gave money to via mini-bonds have defaulted and all businesses have provided security for the loans. They added that they are continuing to work with the FCA to find a way forward.

BURST water pipes have already affected businesses in the region according to South East Water, who are anticipating more problems due to expected cold weather in the coming weeks. The company, which provides drinking water to 2.2 million customers, say problems occur when external pipes and outside taps are not lagged to protect them from the cold spells. They are offering a free winter kit for homes and business, along with additional advice and a video on how to protect your water pipes. Visit southeastwater.co.uk/winter

Thousands of foreign lorries flout charge TENS of thousands of foreign-registered lorries fail to pay the Dart Charge, according to a Freedom of Information request submitted to Highways England. Kent Liberal Democrats, who submitted the request, are calling for a new system to be introduced before plans for the new Lower Thames Crossing are introduced. “The continued failure to collect tolls from foreign registered vehicles is getting ridiculous. A new system should be introduced as quickly as possible, and the new Lower Thames Crossing should have a consistent system when completed and open for use,” said Cllr Ian Chittenden, Lib Dem Spokesperson on Transport issues on Kent County Council.

Tech jobs top new roles

STALLED The Civic Way market

The Pantiles reaches out to the Farmers’ Market traders TRADERS hit by the closure of Tunbridge Wells Farmers’ Market are being encouraged to move their stalls to The Pantiles. Organisers for The Pantiles Market say they want to do everything they can to help beleaguered traders hit by the closing of the Civic Way site. The closure, announced by the borough council earlier this month, is to make way for development work for the new £13million Amelia Scott culture hub and also the public realm works on Mount Pleasant Road. The final farmers’ market is expected to be held on January 26, with no plans for it to reopen. The Pantiles organiser and Managing Director of the Tunbridge Wells Hotel, Julian Leefe-Griffiths,

Burst pipes warning

said: “It is a great shame that the market at the top of the town has ceased trading. We would definitely like to help out those traders. “We are actively seeking quality producers with interesting products, and it is important that local producers have somewhere to trade.” However, he ruled out The Pantiles Market, which runs on alternate Saturdays, becoming a weekly event. Mr Leefe-Griffiths commented: “Going to one week would be difficult. There is a large cost to putting on the market that we have to bear, but also we have lots of events on in the summer that we couldn’t put on if there was a market there every week.”

CAREERS in the cyber industry are topping the list of the most in-demand jobs for 2019, say recruiters. Employment experts Hays, who have an office in Church Road, Tunbridge Wells, have compiled a list of the top roles that employers are looking for in 2019. The recruitment consultancy say the roles that make up the top ten list, based on a survey of almost 23,000 respondents, are commanding above average salary increases as skills shortages mean employers are struggling to find the talent they need.

THE TOP 10 JOBS FOR 2019 1. Cyber security analysts 2. Data scientists 3. Site managers 4. Java developers 5. Part-qualified accountants 6. Full stack developers 7. Building surveyors 8. Quantity surveyors 9. Risk analysts 10. Finance managers

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Nurse takes up challenge to keep Crowborough safe A NEW defibrillator has been installed in Crowborough near the Cross, providing the first such facility on the north side of the town. And a local nurse has decided to run the London Marathon in April – her first attempt at the distance – in order to raise funds to provide more in the area. Nicki Pointer, a volunteer with Crowborough Community First Responders [CCFR], said: “These units cost about £1,500 each, so I entered the ballot for the London Marathon as a way of fundraising to help purchase more defibrillators. “To my surprise, I was accepted. It’s a daunting prospect because I’ve not run a marathon before, but I’m certainly up for the challenge and training hard.” The cardiac equipment has been located at Fieldbuss Newsagents in London Road, close to the Cross. Ms Pointer, who is a ward manager in gynae-

cology and early pregnancy at Tunbridge Wells Hospital, said: “The defibrillator is accessible to the general public on a 999 call, so it’s there for anyone to use in an emergency. “In time, we hope that no home in Crowborough will be more than 400 metres from a defibrillator.” Nicki’s CCFR colleague Leigh Westwood said: “There are no defibrillators on the north side of the Cross, so we’re delighted we could install one at Fieldbuss, which itself has been at the heart of the community for many, many years.” He added: “Reducing response time is key to saving lives, and we now have eight defibrillators across Crowborough, of which seven have seen active use.” For more information about volunteering for Crowborough Community First Responders, and to support Nicki in her fundraising, visit crowborough-cfr.co.uk RESPONSE TIME CCFR’s Nicki Pointer (right) and Leigh Westwood

Wednesday January 9 | 2019

MAKING WAVES Volunteers visit a lifeboat station each year

All aboard to help town’s RNLI branch THE Tunbridge Wells branch of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution [RNLI] managed to collect £15,000 on behalf of the rescue service last year, but they are keen to increase that sum – and bring more helpers on board. The RNLI receives no government help and relies entirely on donations and legacies to raise the £177million needed annually to keep the lifeboats afloat nationwide.

Humbling The town’s contingent of volunteers numbers only eight, but they stage a wide variety of events throughout the year. These range from collections at local shops and stalls at local fetes to coffee mornings, auction inclusions, the Flag Day and an annual outing. The high watermark of fundraising came in 2011, when they were able to pass on £20,000.

Now they would like to hear from anyone who can spare two hours each year to help with collections. Local volunteer Joan Hamilton-Smith said: “Despite being 30-plus miles from the nearest coastal town, it’s very humbling that so many people in Tunbridge Wells and the surrounding areas support our branch of the RNLI.” She added: “Visits to lifeboat stations around the south-east coast give us that extra incentive to raise as much as we can. We get an insight into what it’s like to be a crew member. “Tower Lifeboat Station on the River Thames was particularly interesting as it’s on a pontoon, so standing still and upright when a boat went by was challenging. “It was even suggested that anyone susceptible to seasickness take a tablet with them.” For more information about volunteering, call Joan on 01892 539551 or email: cjay13@hotmail.co.uk

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Cultivate a sense of wellbeing on Tonbridge’s Let’s Grow allotment GREEN SHOOTS Youngsters learn how to grow vegetables

By Andy Tong A GROUNDBREAKING allotment project in Tonbridge is preparing for its second year of hard graft – and helping local people cope with feelings of loneliness. Let’s Grow was started in May last year in Lodge Oak Lane in association with the mental health charity West Kent Mind to increase a sense of wellbeing among its supporters. Clarion Housing have provided funding to set up the plot, while Foresters UK helped to source and build a shelter at the site. West Kent Mind began with four large raised beds on the site, where an abundance of fruit, vegetables and flowers were grown last year. They included beetroot, green beans, strawber-

ries, kale, cabbages and giant sunflowers. One of the keen growers, Lindsey O’Neill, said: “We are a very relaxed group and people can do as little or as much as they like. “That can be propagating new plants, weeding and digging – or just having a chat and relaxing sit-down in the serene surroundings. “The hard work and dedication to the project I have seen from our volunteers has been a privilege to bear witness to.” Lindsey has found Let’s Grow to be highly beneficial for her sense of wellbeing following the death of her mother two years ago. “Having suffered the loss of my mum, I can personally attest to the therapeutic power of plants,” she said. “The feeling of connection and the hope that

growing something can provide even during very dark times is something that I have a passion for sharing with other people.” The project has the added bonus of teaching the gardeners how to run an allotment, with its complex crafts of nurturing, tending and, of course, harvesting. “For me personally, it has been huge learning curve, and my own skills as a grower have improved exponentially, having benefitted from the knowledge of the volunteers who attend,” said Lindsey. “The project has helped a number of people over the last nine months, giving a space for them to develop their gardening skills. Some have even moved into employment and further training.” Let’s Grow are now looking to expand further with another site being developed in the village of Shoreham, near Sevenoaks. The Tonbridge site is open twice a week, on Wednesdays from 9am to 12noon and Fridays from 2-5pm. For more information, call 01732 744950, 0r visit westkentmind.org.uk/what-we-offer/allotmentproject

THE PLOT THICKENS Let’s Grow is looking to expand the project

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Batter than the rest: Little Brown Jug reaches national fish and chip finals isers Seafish, said: “This award is proof that you can taste high-quality fish and chips in places other than dedicated takeaways and restaurants. “This award celebrates businesses that don’t solely focus on producing the dish, but nevertheless go the extra mile to create great quality fish and chips and provide customers with a memorable dining experience.”

PHOTO: Rose Bainbridge

‘There’s no one else in the world who does it – especially the way we do it. It’s by far our biggest seller, apart from roasts’

OFF THE SCALE Callum Smith with his fish dish

By Andy Tong andy@timesoftonbridge.co.uk A PUB in Chiddingstone Causeway has reached the finals in the National Fish and Chip Awards. The Little Brown Jug is in the running in the Best Foodservice Operator category, which is open to places where the dish is included on the menu but is not the core offering – including pubs, restaurants, leisure outlets, cafés and hotels. The Whiting & Hammond pub is up against two other finalists, Fish in London’s Borough Market

and The Woodmans Arms in Whickham, Newcastle upon Tyne. The winners will be announced at a ceremony at the Royal Lancaster Hotel in London on January 24. Entries are judged across a wide range of criteria, including responsible sourcing policies, preparation and cooking techniques, promotional activity and menu innovation. Ahead of the awards, the three contenders will be visited by mystery diner judges who will assess levels of customer service and the quality of their fish and chips. Marcus Coleman, Chief Executive of the organ-

Callum Smith is the Head Chef at the Little Brown Jug, and he said what makes the difference is ‘attention to detail and taking pride in what we do’. He credited the success of the beer-battered dish to ‘the produce we use, the fish from our supplier FES and the beer we use, local real ale from Larkins, which is really good’. So what’s the secret of a perfect fish supper? “It’s best when the fish are frozen at sea, so that when it’s defrosted it keeps the fish moist,” said Callum. He added that there’s something special about the dish because ‘there’s no one else in the world who does it – especially the way we do it. It’s by far our biggest seller, apart from roasts on Sundays.” Callum, 25, from Sevenoaks was appointed Head Chef at the Little Brown Jug in September after spending four years as sous-chef. But he started out at the pub as an apprentice

Wednesday January 9 | 2019

eight years ago before moving away to pursue other avenues. He worked at Hever Castle and then various Tunbridge Wells hotels, and spent a year working at an inn in Pitlochry, Scotland. Brian Whiting, the owner of Whiting & Hammond, which runs five pubs locally, said: “I am immensely proud of Callum, our Head Chef, and the team at The Little Brown Jug for being a finalist in the National Fish & Chip Awards. “We have always been proud of our fish and chips, one of our top selling dishes. This is a huge award accolade for the team to come in the top three in the UK.”

BEER-BATTERED COD AND CHIPS REVIEWED: YOU’LL BE HOOKED The Little Brown Jug’s fish and chips are sensational. The batter is delicately crispy all the way round – without ever becoming cloying or crusty, and not remotely soggy underneath. The gentle, aromatic flavours of the Larkins Traditional ale from Chiddingstone soak into the Atlantic cod. The fish, which flakes gracefully, is sourced from the Barents Sea – the menu even names the trawlers, Naezdik and Golovnin. It is accompanied by triple-cooked chunky chips, mushy peas and a homemade tartare sauce which is creamy and restrained. A standard main course costs £11.95 and there’s a giant portion available for £14.95 ‘if you dare’.

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Alzheimer’s hope in common nutrient AN ESSENTIAL nutrient widely sold as a health supplement may protect against Alzheimer’s disease from one generation to the next. Scientists in the US fed pregnant mice with an inherited rodent version of the disease fortified with choline, which is known to play an important role in nervous system development. They found that offspring of the mother mice appeared to be protected from the effects of Alzheimer’s. Compared with the offspring of mice not given the supplement, they performed significantly better in water maze experiments designed to test memory. When a new generation of mice was bred from the offspring, they displayed the same kind of enhanced memory despite having no contact with supplemental choline.

New deal for small scale solar panels HOUSEHOLDS and businesses which install new solar panels will be paid for excess electricity they supply to the grid. The current subsidy regime finishes at the end of March. Under that scheme, people were paid a ‘feed-in tariff’ – a subsidy for the amount of power they generated from small-scale renewables such as solar – and an export tariff for power fed back to the grid. But the closure of the scheme raised the possibility of households providing electricity to energy companies for free. The new smart export guarantee would see suppliers with more than 250,000 customers required to pay households and businesses for the electricity they actually export to the grid.

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Drone fears lead to flights suspended at Heathrow airport

OUTSIDERS Protesters in Parliament Square

MP claims Met is ‘ignoring’ abuse outside Parliament CONSERVATIVE MP Anna Soubry has accused the Metropolitan Police of ignoring abuse, including racism, hurled at politicians and journalists outside Parliament. Speaking to Good Morning Britain the day after she was called a ‘Nazi’ while carrying out interviews on College Green, she said there was a small group of people ‘roaming around Westminster intimidating people going about their lawful business’. The pro-EU MP added that she anticipated a level of criticism and abuse but expected authorities to act when it ‘crossed the line’. She said: “It crossed the line in December, it was journalists who were being attacked. She added that Sky News’ political editor Faisal Islam ‘was racially abused by these people, it’s the same group, all on video and the policy of the Metropolitan Police is to ignore it’. The Speaker John Bercow told the Commons yesterday that he had written to the Met’s

Commissioner, Cressida Dick, and said: “Let’s be quite clear about that, it’s a type of fascism. “Women and ethnic minority citizens in particular are being targeted. “I don’t say that they’re the only people on the receiving end of this completely unacceptable behaviour but they have been and are being deliberately and disproportionately targeted. “That is not acceptable and we have to ensure that something is done about it.” The Met’s Deputy Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor said that officers would be expected to intervene if protesters tried to stop MPs going about their daily routines. He said: “We’ve given a very clear direction to our officers on the ground that if they witness criminal behaviour then there is an expectation that an arrest will be made. He added that policing near Parliament will be ‘enhanced’ in the run-up to the vote on Theresa May’s Brexit deal next week.

DEPARTURES were suspended at Heathrow last night [Tuesday] after a suspected drone sighting. A Heathrow spokesman said: “We are responding to a drone sighting at Heathrow and are working closely with the Metropolitan Police to prevent any threat to operational safety. “As a precautionary measure, we have stopped departures while we investigate.” The alleged sighting came four days after both Heathrow and Gatwick airports reported they were investing millions of pounds in equipment to prevent future flight disruption. Between December 19 and 21, Gatwick was repeatedly forced to close due to reported drone sightings, with about 1,000 flights affected.

Competency The anti-drone equipment can detect and jam communications between a drone and its operator and was deployed on a roof at Gatwick. The system, which is said to have a range of several miles, uses four radars to give 360-degree detection in order to identify and track targets. The Government announced a package of measures yesterday designed to give police extra powers to combat drones. The exclusion zone around airports will be extended to a 3.1 miles, with additional extensions from runway ends. Ministers also announced that from November 30, operators of drones, weighing between 250g and 20kg, will be required to register and take an online drone pilot competency test. Fines of up to £100 could be given for offences such as failing to comply with a police officer when instructed to land a drone, or not showing their registration to operate a drone.

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NEWS IN BRIEF

TV Licensing fraudsters ACTION FRAUD said it has received more than 5,000 reports of fake emails and texts claiming to be from TV Licensing. In December 2018 alone, 200 crime reports were made, with victims reporting a total loss of £233,455. Victims are initially tricked into clicking links. After they have provided personal details, fraudsters call them up a couple of weeks later, claiming to be from the fraud department of their bank.

Giant ‘fatberg’ in Devon A ‘FATBERG’ bigger than Nelson’s Column has been found blocking a sewer in a Devon seaside town.

The 64-metre-long mass of hardened fat, oil and wet wipes has been discovered in drains under Sidmouth. South West Water’s Andrew Roantre said: “It will take our sewer team around eight weeks to dissect this monster in exceptionally challenging work conditions.”

Scream comes to London A VERSION of Edvard Munch’s The Scream will go on display in the British Museum in April. The world-famous work will form part of an exhibition showing the ‘emotional impact’ and European spirit of the Norwegian painter and printmaker. Curator Giulia Bartrum said: “We hope to lift the veil on the deeply personal and emotional artworks of the man behind The Scream.”

Wednesday January 9 | 2019

Clark defends ferries but no-deal ‘should not be contemplated’ ‘Every government department should make preparations against the avoidable contingency of no-deal

FRESH CHALLENGE Greg Clark attended the first Cabinet meeting of the year GREG CLARK has insisted a no-deal Brexit ‘should not be contemplated’ as the Government steps up its preparations – and defended the ferry contract award for Seaborne Freight. The Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy told the Commons yesterday that no-deal could be avoided by MPs supporting Theresa May’s Brexit deal next week. The MP for Tunbridge Wells said he has always been clear on the need to avoid leaving the EU without a deal, given his role in representing the views of small and large businesses. Downing Street confirmed that the ‘meaningful vote’ on Mrs May’s deal is scheduled to take place on Tuesday [January 15]. Five days of Commons debate are due to be launched today [Wednesday] by Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay.

Essential Mr Clark’s remarks came after he was challenged by Shadow Business Minister Chi Onwurah to rule out a no-deal Brexit. She described the Government’s lorry park trial run at Manston Airport in Kent on Monday as a ‘ghost of Brexit future pantomime of the chaos to come’ if no agreement is secured. She asked Mr Clark to reassure firms which are ‘stockpiling parts’ that he will ‘rule out a no-deal Brexit’. Mr Clark said he understood the requirements of business, telling the Commons: “It is essential that we should be able to continue to trade. “It’s why I’ve always been clear, representing very strongly the views of small business and large business, that no-deal should not be contemplated.” He then defended a ferry contract for a no-deal Brexit situation being awarded to Seaborne Freight, amid questions from the SNP. Transport Secretary Chris Grayling has been widely criticised for giving a £14million contract to Seaborne Freight. SNP transport spokesman Drew Hendry asked

whether a precedent had been set for UK businesses by awarding a contract to a company with no ships, ‘negative assets of nearly £400,000’ and ‘terms and conditions copied from a takeaway’. Mr Hendry continued: “Will all UK businesses see such largesse from the Government over procurement contracts? “One of the directors of Seaborne ran a company which went into liquidation owing HMRC nearly £600,000 using EBT [Employee Benefit Trust] tax avoidance schemes. “According to the director, the Government didn’t even consider the money owed to HMRC as relevant – is that a sign of a Government out of control on Brexit?” Mr Clark said it was ‘prudent and responsible’ for the Government to prepare contingency plans for no-deal, but he hoped opposition MPs would ‘take the opportunity to obviate the need for those contingencies’. He added: “He, I hope, would agree that every Government department should make preparations against the avoidable contingency of no-deal. “Of course, it’s fair to observe that not a penny of Government money has been paid to this company and will only be paid, as I understand it, on receipt of services provided.”

Comment, see page 20

SCARLET FEVER GRIPS CABINET In the first Cabinet meeting since before Christmas, Michael Gove told his colleagues that those who were considering rejecting Mrs May’s Brexit agreement in the hope of securing a better deal were like swingers in their mid-50s waiting for film star Scarlett Johansson to turn up on a date. Amber Rudd said ‘or Pierce Brosnan’, whereupon David Gauke added it was like ‘waiting for Scarlett Johansson on a unicorn’.

Wednesday January 9 | 2019

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BUSINESS NEWS IN BRIEF

End of Economy Energy ECONOMY ENERGY has become the latest small energy firm to go under, leaving more than 235,000 customers in limbo. Regulator Ofgem said the clients’ energy supply will not be affected and prepayment meters can be topped up as normal. Outstanding credit balances of domestic customers will be protected and Ofgem will choose a supplier to take on Economy Energy’s client base ‘as quickly as possible’.

Aldi and Lidl keep rising ALDI and Lidl continued to put pressure on the ‘big four’ supermarkets over Christmas, new market share data shows. Two-thirds of households shopped at one

Medals for 100-year-old A VETERAN of the Second World War who lost his medals 70 years ago has had them replaced as a gift on his 100th birthday. Former sergeant Glyn Gurner served in the Royal Welch Fusiliers in Crete, North Africa, Italy and Palestine for 10 years from 1936.

The grandfather was surprised with the replacements on his doorstep in New Tredegar, Caerphilly by (l-r) the regimental goat Fusilier Shenkin IV, Goat Major Sergeant Mark Jackson and Warrant Officer First Class Richie Davies.

Halifax house price surprise HOUSE prices recorded a surprise jump last month, according to Halifax. The company’s index showed prices increased by 2.2 per cent month on month in December, following a 1.2 per cent fall in November. Across the UK, property values were up by 1.3 per cent year on year to reach £229,729 on average. The month-on-month figures from Halifax are in contrast to a separate index from Nationwide Building Society, which said last week that house prices were down by 0.7 per cent month on month in December. Howard Archer, the chief economic adviser at EY Item Club, described Halifax’s figures as a

‘major surprise’, adding that it is also notable that December’s month-on-month spike in house prices reported by Halifax is ‘markedly at odds’ with some other surveys and data, which have been pointing ‘to stuttering house market activity and prices late on in 2018, with heightened Brexit uncertainties very possibly having an impact’. Samuel Tombs, chief UK economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics, said: “Volatility shouldn’t distract from the weak underlying trend. “The 1.3 per cent year-over-year growth rate is a much better guide to the underlying trend, sitting between other estimates of price gains.”

Confidence crisis at London firms CONFIDENCE among businesses in London has ‘plummeted’ as firms report problems recruiting workers, according to a new report. Research for the London Chamber of Commerce suggested domestic sales were falling and cashflow balances were at a record low. The survey of 500 firms in the capital indicated that expectations for the future of the London and UK economies had fallen in recent months. The chamber’s chief executive, Colin Stanbridge, said: “With all business confidence and economic indicators falling and cashflow balance at a record low, these results should act as a wake-up call for the Government. “It is staggering that we are now weeks away from leaving the European Union and businesses still don’t know the terms of that

departure and what preparations they require. Government must urgently provide that clarity. “Businesses, particularly those small and medium-sized, need support and encouragement in these exceedingly turbulent times. “With the next mayoral election just over a year away, commitments from the main candidates to pursue an agenda of greater devolution to London would also be welcome.” The report’s recommendations included London retaining more of the tax generated in the capital, and moves to help businesses recruit suitably skilled staff. Rajesh Agrawal, deputy mayor for business, said: “The Government’s Brexit deal would be hugely damaging for jobs and growth, and would create further, long-lasting uncertainty.”

Water companies criticised over Beast WATER firms’ response to the Beast from the East was poor and resulted in mixed levels of customer service, the industry regulator has said as it demanded a step-up in performance. Ofwat noted that between 2017-18 several companies were unable to meet their supply interruptions commitments during last year’s spell of low temperatures and high winds. Ofwat said in 2017-18 there was a 1 per cent

reduction in performance commitments achieved across the sector compared with 2016-17, which ‘reflects the issues that some companies experienced managing the effects of the severe, but not unprecedented, freeze-thaw event in late February and early March. The report added that companies ‘have more to do to ensure they meet their performance commitments’.

of the discounters over 12 weeks to December 30, according to Kantar Worldpanel, giving them a 12.8 per cent slice of the market. This was the highest ever Christmas market share for the retailers, with Aldi’s sales up 10.4 per cent and Lidl up 9.4 per cent.

Greene King rules roost PUB group Greene King has cheered strong festive trading after customers brushed aside Brexit fears to send sales surging. Shares in Greene King rose 4 per cent as the Hungry Horse and Chef & Brewer owner said like-for-like sales in its managed pubs jumped 10.9 per cent in the two weeks to January 6. It notched up another record on Christmas Day with sales of £7.7million as more Britons chose to eat out for their festive lunch.

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Wednesday January 9 | 2019

And another thing… This is the page where you, the reader, have your chance to express your views or comments on what’s going on in our part of the world. We like to hear from you. You can email us at newsdesk@timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk or newsdesk@timesoftonbridge.co.uk or write to the Editor at Runcie Court, Salomons Estate, Tunbridge Wells TN3 0TG The show must go on – new theatre can sell as many tickets as Marlowe

THE STAGE IS SET: The Marlowe Theatre hosts more than 400 shows each year One of your readers queried if our new theatre will host enough performances to sell 400,000 tickets per year as predicted by experts. The Marlowe in Canterbury, similar to our new theatre, hosts more than 400 shows per year. It has productions most days, and often runs two matinees per week. During the panto season it ran two performances per day, every day, for over six weeks. If running full tilt, the main stage could host 500 performances per year. The quality is also high. Later this month the Marlowe will be hosting Kinky Boots and The Full Monty, with Saturday Night Fever, War Horse and the National Theatre’s production

A long time to wait for new spaces Whilst the debate over the Calverley Square development continues to rage, I thought it appropriate to mention the refurbishment of the Crescent Road car park. It is running significantly behind schedule, which is shocking for a simple refurbishment. I thought this was worth a mention because if anybody believes the new Calverley Square development will be completed anywhere near on time then they are deluded. Just saying. Jean Rennie Via email

Not compulsory to mention project The 2018 winter edition of the Tunbridge Wells Borough Council’s Local newsletter makes no reference to Calverley Square. Why is this? We are hoping that the Compulsory Purchase Enquiry Chairman will reject the CPO so that we never hear again about this project. Ann and John Pickering Tunbridge Wells

Feed birds right food in right place I am writing to express my view on the lady who feeds the birds on the streets of Tunbridge Wells. Before I met her some months ago, I thought, why do people throw away lots of sandwiches, etc, on the crossing between Belgrave Road and Meadow Road near the bus terminal?

of Macbeth visiting in February. So ticket sales are strong. When it first opened in 2011, the Marlowe sold out for the first six months (so get your tickets early!), and since that time has filled nearly 80 per cent of available seats. And each performance brings consumers into the town, boosting the local economy by £33million per year. So selling 400,000 tickets is an achievable forecast for our own theatre, and these theatregoers will provide a tremendous boost to our town’s economy Cllr Lawrence Heasman Councillor for The Pantiles & St Mark’s Every Sunday morning at around 8am I saw lots of seagulls and pigeons pecking the food, fillings and all. It was in the middle of the road and the pavements, so birds flew like crazy when cars drove up. The food was also wet and slippery on rainy days. The mystery was eventually solved when one Sunday morning I saw a lady throwing away food on that spot. She was carrying two big carrier bags of bread with fillings and all. She said she was from Hastings and collects bread stuff to feed birds because they are starving. This crossing was her first spot after getting off the bus. She was basically littering. She is kind in her way, but she feeds birds with the wrong food. There are notices in Dunorlan Park asking park-goers not to feed birds with bread because they are not only littering and encouraging bacteria and algae to grow, birds’ natural foods are grains not human left-overs. So please be kind to birds, streets, street cleaners, pedestrians and cars: No littering, neither wrong food nor wrong spots. Michelle Scott Via email

We can still pull back from cliff edge Edward Baker [December 27] asks if we are racing over the edge of a cliff. Regrettably, it still appears so. This seems to be so because Remainer Theresa

May thinks the majority of the British people spoke in the 2016 referendum and that she has a moral duty to try and carry it through. In my view she is mistaken. Remain was a tiny majority of those who actually voted, not of those entitled. Youngsters and Europeans living here for years and paying our taxes were unfairly excluded. To be sure of preserving the unity of the UK you would need a majority of all parts of it. To treat Leavers and Remainers with respect they should be asked to give their final decision now that the alternatives are clear. Some Leavers may have given a protest vote, or thought they could kick all intellectuals in the teeth, or that the dreadful austerity from which they suffered was caused by the EU. It would be a shame if such views ended our right to have an influence in European affairs. The latest wheeze of Leavers is to drum up arguments about sovereignty. We no longer have the right or ability to insist that everyone else obeys our rules, and do we really want Europe to break up into 27 quarrelling nations again? So, surely Mr Baker, the only safe thing to do about the cliff edge is to go into reverse! John Champneys Tunbridge Wells

Brexit reason bordering on disaster Your front page of December 27 quoted Greg Clark, MP, saying that failure to reach a deal on Brexit would be a disaster for Britain. The true disaster will be if Brexit actually takes place! Anyone, politicians included, with an ounce of sense will be fully aware of the fact that the vast majority of people who voted to come ‘out of Europe’ did so on immigration issues. Now that it has been made clear that any withdrawal from Europe will not reduce immigration in any way, the people who wanted controls on immigration, and so voted to come out of Europe, should be allowed to vote again – knowing that Brexit will not reduce immigration. The Conservative Party, through poor ‘expert’ advice and plain arrogance (and ignorance), got us into this mess by calling the referendum in the first place. I now hope that the party and other politicians in Parliament will now strive to get us out of this almighty mess and remain within Europe. The whole political spectrum has let the British public down spectacularly on this issue and it is time for it to be put right – for the overall good of the country. A second referendum must be held, and it must include a Remain option. Paul Marsden Tunbridge Wells

How do we go about deselecting? Bravo to Edward Baker and James Robertson in your December 27 edition. Their summaries are dead to rights. I should like to join any efforts to deselect Greg Clark. How do I go about it? John Hopkins Tunbridge Wells

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

Calverley

Observations on life and more important things

Restaurant tips should always be given unless the service and food are appalling, in which case make a formal complaint. But people have differing views, so make up your own minds about what’s right in these cases…

TWENTY people turn up to eat at a pleasant gastro pub in one of the villages. When presenting the final bill of £300, the waiter, as he always does, points out the ten per cent service charge. The customers ask for the £30 tip to be removed, although they told him the food and service were great. On leaving, they put a five pound note on the table. Stingy or not? AND then there’s the case of the couple who went for afternoon tea at a posh place. They took along a voucher that gave them 50 per cent off the normal price of £100. At the end of the sarnies and cake, they were presented with a bill for 13 per cent service charge on the £100 amount they had never paid. They thought if there was a charge it should be on the £50, not the higher amount. In the end, the waitress accepted £5, the only cash they had, and was grateful ‘as we don’t get anything when you pay by card’.

YET another embarrassing moment for Calverley. Into Sainsbury’s for a few items at lunchtime and over to those self-checkout tills. All went well until it came to paying the £4.50. A quick search of pockets produced the exact amount of change which He fed into the slot. Nothing happened on the screen. The reason? He had fed the coins into the slot for discarding used discount coupons. Too red-faced to call an assistant, he put a five pound note into the right slot and slunk out of the store.

READERS might recall Calverley’s rant about the savaging of the English language by those who cannot, or will not, pronounce the letter ‘T’. The other day he heard the former US First Lady Michelle Obama, who was on her book-promoting tour of the UK. More than once she referred to the number 20 as ‘twenny’. All an American plot then – and nothing to do with Brexit, which is blamed for everything. Chin Chin, readers

Education

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EDUCATION Times Why not start a new chapter for 2019? The beginning of a new year and a new school term has got linguistics expert Liz Hawker thinking about the changes children – and their parents – can make to enhance their reading pleasure NOTHING beats the start of a new year for promises to ‘turn over a new leaf’ or start a ‘new chapter’. Ironically, we ignore the book metaphors and focus on diet, exercise and lifestyle changes in a bid to make this year better than the last one. But what about reading? Liz Hawker As parents, there are fewer more important habits to establish in our children, especially now that technology dominates play, and stress among young people is on the rise. Whether your child has dyslexia or rarely gets beyond the first few pages, here is a Top Ten of reading recommendations for 2019 to boost your child’s language skills and reignite their love of books:

INDULGE IN AN ANNUAL For reluctant readers or children with reading difficulties, annuals and comics are a brilliant investment. They are also high interest reads so are great for motivation. Get one for half the price now that Christmas is over and leave them strategically placed on the sofa.

WATCH A REVIEW Get YouTube on your side. Get your child to choose a book from a video review by another young person or go to the book trailers on worldbookday.com. Harness pester power: at school speak to your child’s teacher about pupils visiting another class to ‘sell’ a book they have enjoyed to a younger group of pupils, who will then come home and pester you for a copy.

PAGE TURNERS: Get your children sharing stories

MIX BOOKS AND FILM Use your child’s natural interest in film to inspire interest in a related book. Watch the film in two sittings (with popcorn), withholding the final half of the film until a later date when your child has read a good amount of the book in the meantime. Remember some reading is better than no reading and not every page needs to be read if progress through the pages is difficult.

STORIES TO SHARE Go online and let your child choose from books that will ‘change your mind’, ‘inspire you’, ‘make your heart beat faster’ or ‘break your heart’. worldbookday.com also has a great ‘100 Stories to Share’ section, grouped by age range and category.

LISTEN TO BOOKS – AUDIBLE NOT ALEXA Stories come from an oral tradition, not just because of historical illiteracy but because of the pleasure and power of listening to narrative. If your child is not a page turner, use time in the car or down time at home to put on a wellloved audio book. Your child will still get huge literacy benefits. If you don’t have a CD player, try Audible (with stories voiced by actors), but not Alexa – speech developed by artificial intelligence does nothing to develop a love of storytelling.

INSPIRING AUTHORS The creative potential of dyslexia is now widely recognised. If your child has dyslexia, surprise them with one of the many brilliant books by dyslexic authors, including Sally Gardner, Henry Winkler, Jerry Pinkney, Stacey Campbell and Octavia Spencer, to name just a few. New titles for 2019 include: Cerrie Burnell (former CBeebies presenter) The Girl with the Shark’s Teeth and Tom McLaughlin’s You’ve Been Werewofed.

WHAT TO READ NEXT Keep your child on a roll. booktrust.org.uk has a ‘What to read after’ section for up-to-date recommendations of other books your child might like if they have enjoyed a particular author. Another goldmine is the worldbookday.com ‘If You Love…’ page.

LET PICTURES TELL THE STORY Whatever your child’s age, don’t forget the allure of illustrations, inside a book as well as on a cover. Books by Anthony Browne or the Ottoline series by Chris Riddell, to name a few, are wonderful reads, with pictures as well as words helping propel the story forward (Ottoline creator Chris Riddell has just deservedly received a CBE services to literature, along with author Julia Donaldson).

INVEST IN AN E-READER 40% of poor readers and around 50% of dyslexics suffer from visual stress, which

causes text to move, blur or go in and out of focus, making it doubly hard to stay on track as they read. E-readers like Kindle are not just convenient, they also make it possible to reduce visual stress, thanks to enlargement, definitions at the tap of a finger and the option to change font type and background colour. Double check that your child’s school allows e-readers and avoid popular brands with gaming capacity to avoid distraction.

STORYTIME ONLINE Get your child back into stories as a great way to relax at the end of the day with the wonderful storytime online videos read by authors and celebrities with www.worldbookday. com/videos . These carefully chosen stories are brilliantly narrated and a pleasure to watch. Liz Hawker is a Tunbridge Wells parent, Dyslexia Specialist at both Primary and Secondary school levels and a linguist.

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Greg Clark

Wednesday January 9 | 2019

Greg Clark was ﬁrst elected to Parliament as a representative of Tunbridge Wells in 2005. The Conservative MP has since held a number of positions in Government and currently sits as a member of the Cabinet in his capacity as Secretary of State for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy

MP for Tunbridge Wells

Brexit is just one of our pressing local issues 2019 has begun, in Parliament, as 2018 ended – with Brexit dominating debates. This time, however, it must come to a resolution. We cannot continue – and businesses cannot make investment decisions – with the prospect of a deeply damaging rupture with our closest trading partners in just over 80 days’ time. Businesses large and small have been generally the biggest supporters of the deal the Prime Minister has negotiated with the EU. It would bring the reassurance of a continuing close trading relationship for the future. But they also place the greatest priority on preventing an unintended crash out in March. I agree with them, and in Cabinet and in Parliament I will urge MPs to act to rule out No Deal on 29 March. The resolution of Brexit is, of course, crucial for us locally as well as nationally. But there are several important other local decisions that will be of great significance to us in the weeks ahead. For many of us, the award of the next rail franchise is of great importance. A decision is expected in the early spring about who will operate rail services in the area currently run by Southeastern. With local commuters who joined forces with me to form a rail action group we have pressed for the new contract to reverse the fare disparity between our area and neighbouring lines, and in particular to offer a more competitive,

flexible range of tickets including for those who commute part time. The standards of service required of the new franchise holder should be more rigorous than has been the case with Southeastern, and there is an opportunity to make progress in the case for funding lifts at High Brooms station – now the only station in Kent with over 1 million journeys a year that is not step-free.

Stroke services Later in January we expect a decision to be taken on a major change for our local NHS in how stroke services will be provided across the county. International and UK best practice has established that specialist stroke units operating 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, have a big impact on people’s chance of surviving a stroke and minimising disability. We have been behind other areas in the country in moving to this model but I hope that we will now begin to implement this approach. Regular readers will know that improving our mental health services, especially for children and adolescents, is one of my most important campaigning priorities. The new provider of the NHS service across the county has a big job to do to make sure that everyone can be confident in being seen quickly for assessment and then subsequently to start a

DECISION: Local stroke services provision is set to change course of treatment. Their initial performance has not been in line with expectations, and with the Health Scrutiny Committee of Kent County Council I have asked for much clearer information to be provided to be able to assess whether the required progress is being made in this work that is vital to so many of our most vulnerable citizens. Throughout 2019, as well as matters of international and national contention, many people will encounter problems that they are

Mark Hood Vice-Chairman of the Tonbridge & Malling Green Party

experiencing locally and personally. My regular surgeries, which take place all around the constituency and are advertised in this newspaper and on my website, are open to anyone who has something that they feel I can help with, or who would like to talk over a policy issue that is coming before Parliament. I encourage anyone who has a view to share, or a problem to address, to come and talk to me during the year. It is a vital part of my job and I will always do the best I can to help.

Mark Hood has established the Barden Residents’ Association, is a founder member of Keep River Lawn Green, and campaigned to save the Barden Boatyard and River Lawn from development. He is also one of the organisers of the Tonbridge Calling festival

Looking ahead to local and global change A NEW YEAR, and despite all the challenges that still lie ahead there are reasons to be hopeful. The IPCC report on limiting global warming concentrated minds and the COP24 meeting in Poland finally settled the ‘rulebook’ to put the Paris Agreement on emissions, mitigation and adaptation into effect. Renewable energy is back on the agenda as the technologies improve and prices fall. The push to remove unnecessary plastics from our lives is gaining momentum every day. Bans on new petrol and diesel-powered cars are set to come into force in several European countries, including the UK, from 2040. Closer to home, conservation organisations such as the Kent Wildlife Trust and the RSPB have had major successes – extending Ham Fen, near Sandwich (home to beavers) and protecting Lodge Hill on the Hoo Peninsula (home to nightingales). 2018 was certainly a busy year for Greens in Tonbridge and Malling. We have been fighting against the environmental vandalism of our own council and their plans to build on River Lawn, we have challenged the loss of swathes of green belt land across the borough, and we continue to push for measures to reduce pollution in our town centre. We welcome the announced

upgrade to the Leigh Flood Storage Area, but we will resist further construction on the floodplain as climate change will compromise its long-term security. Green voices have been at the forefront of campaigns to reopen The Nelson Arms, prevent the development of the Tonbridge Boatyard, and extend the 20mph speed limit where residents want it. Our High Street is looking healthier than many as we welcome new independent traders. The key to prolonged success will be to retain a healthy footfall in the central retail area, not helped by Tonbridge & Malling Borough Council’s seeming willingness to allow further retail development on the edges of our town.

the inadequacies of their failing business model until it changes. We need transport solutions to reduce reliance on cars. Improving the safety of pedestrians and cyclists and limiting further increases in the cost of student travel by bus are key to enabling that. Only by reducing the numbers of cars travelling through our towns can we begin to tackle the air pollution

which is such a threat to public health. Greens want to see a culture change at Kings Hill. We want to see our representatives start to address the environmental and community needs of our residents. Sustainability underlines our vision for a borough which works efficiently for everyone. Let’s look forward to a year of positive change.

Elections This year we will challenge our council’s Draft Local Plan and the proposal to build thousands of new houses without tackling the lack of homes available for those on modest incomes. May will bring elections for the borough council and it will be interesting to see how the incumbent councillors justify their record of increasing taxes and charges like the Garden Tax, while delivering reduced services and shrinking reserves. We will continue to highlight

CAMPAIGNING Town activists saved a much-loved conker tree

Wednesday January 9 | 2019

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AVAILABLE EVER Y WEDNESDAY – A MUST-READ

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TOP PROPERTY , INTERIORS & TOP TRENDS

INSPIRATION FOR MOVING AND IMPROVING timeslocalnews.co.uk

Blow away the Cobwebs In a home ripe for the personal touch

Page 23

New homes In the country Page 39

A PRETTY GARDEN IN THE PARK

A FAMILY GEM IN ST JOHN’S

ENJOY THE BEAR NECESSITIES

50 gorgeous shades of grey

Warm your winter home with texture Page 30-31

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

Shernfold Park Farm, Frant

The ROUNDEL…

Guide price

£795,000 CONTACT • Bracketts, Tunbridge Wells • 01892 533733 • bracketts.co.uk This converted, 4-bedroom ‘barley oast’ features a brick domed roof, and is one of just a handful of individual homes in a cul-de-sac a few hundred yards from Frant village high street. The 18ft-diameter roundel rooms comprise a sitting room and principal bedroom, and the property has far-reaching views.

MAIN POINTS OF INTEREST n Roundel sitting room with exposed beams and doors to a paved seating area at the front of the property n L-shaped farmhouse-style kitchen/breakfast room with hand-painted units and a rangestyle Esse electric cooker n Dining room with decorative arch to library recess

n The principal bedroom in the upper roundel enjoys views to the front towards the village green and to the rear towards Wadhurst

n 3 further bedrooms, one with en-suite bathroom

n Private driveway providing parking and a turning area

n Family bathroom

n Attached double garage with light, power and an area of eaves storage

n Secluded, south-facing courtyard front garden

MAIN POINTS OF INTEREST n Spacious entrance hall with seating area and stylish staircase n Formal sitting room with stone fireplace and slate hearth n Bespoke kitchen/dining room with bifold door to terrace n Family room n Study n Lower ground floor office, studio and wine cellar n Master bedroom with en-suite dressing room and shower room n 5 further double bedrooms n Family bathroom n Delightful garden with paved terraces n Drive providing parking for a number of cars n Attached garage

The GARDEN…

Stone Cottage Camden Park Tunbridge Wells

Guide price

£2,000,000 CONTACT • Knight Frank, Tunbridge Wells • 01892 515035 • knightfrank.co.uk

An elegant attached property offering a rural feel in the prestigious and private Camden Park, yet just over half a mile from Tunbridge Wells mainline station and the High Street. Period features combine with modern fittings, and the open-plan kitchen/ dining/ living area is the hub of the house.

Wednesday January 9 | 2019

Huntleys Park Tunbridge Wells

Price range

£1,300,000-£1,350,000 CONTACT • Bracketts, Tunbridge Wells • 01892 533733 • bracketts.co.uk

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A handsome 5-bedroom residence constructed with Georgian influences in a development in the Culverden area of the town. Enhancements by the owners include New England shutters throughout most of the property, and it is well placed for the area’s excellent secondary schools and a popular prep school. MAIN POINTS OF INTEREST n Portico entrance n Double-aspect sitting room with central

Best For

n Dining room with doors to garden n Family room

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The PRICE…

feature fireplace and doors to garden UNDER OFFER

n Kitchen with Shaker-style fittings and underfloor heating, open-plan to: n Breakfast room/conservatory n L-shaped master bedroom with en-suite bathroom and doors to roof terrace overlooking garden n 4 further bedrooms, one with en-suite shower room n Family bathroom

The SITTING ROOM…

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n Drive providing off-road parking for 2-3 vehicles n Integral double garage with light and power n Attractive garden with paved seating area

Clarendon Road Sevenoaks

Guide price

£550,000 CONTACT • Savills, Sevenoaks • 01732 789700 • savills.co.uk A well-proportioned, 3-bedroom semidetached period house of character superbly located in a private road.

MAIN POINTS OF INTEREST n Sitting room with square bay window and tiled fireplace n Open-plan kitchen/dining room n 3 bedrooms, one of which has double doors to a flat roof n Family bathroom n South-east facing garden with terrace

Cobwebs

The Platt, Down Lane, Frant

The CONSERVATORY…

Guide price

£550,000 CONTACT • Jackson-Stops, Tunbridge Wells • 01892 521700 • jackson-stops.co.uk

Tong Farm Cottages Tong Road, Brenchley

A 2-3 bedroom converted former stable block tucked away in a superb location on the village outskirts.

Guide price

MAIN POINTS OF INTEREST

CONTACT • Bracketts, Tunbridge Wells • 01892 533733 • bracketts.co.uk

n 20ft sitting room with sandstone wall and log-burning stove n Elegant, hipped roof Amdega conservatory/dining room n Kitchen with Shaker-style units

£725,000 A refurbished and extended 5-bedroom country home enjoying views to the horizon in a rural location adjoining orchards.

n Dual-aspect master bedroom

MAIN POINTS OF INTEREST

n Exceptionally large garden

n Triple-aspect reception room with bifold doors to garden n Sitting room/study with chimney breast, bressumer beam and wood-burning stove n Showpiece kitchen/dining room with central island, plus bifold doors to garden n Master bedroom with large walk-in wardrobe, en-suite shower room and French doors opening to a Juliet balcony n Driveway, garden and courtyard

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Stephens Road

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AT A GLANCE

STEPHENS ROAD TUNBRIDGE WELLS n A 4-bedroom, semi-detached, halls-adjoining Victorian house in the St John’s area of town n Entrance hall n Sitting room with bay window and an open fireplace featuring a logburning stove n Dining room n Kitchen with stone tiled floor, pantry and utility room n Top floor master bedroom with far-reaching views towards the North Downs, and a luxury en-suite shower room featuring CP Hart sanitary ware n 3 further double bedrooms n Bathroom n Garden with terraces and shed n Lapsed planning permission for a single storey rear extension and chimney removal

A period family home in an area popular for its grammar schools

GUIDE PRICE

£695,000 CONTACT • Knight Frank, Tunbridge Wells • 01892 515035 • knightfrank.co.uk

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Extra texture

It’s cold and miserable outside so make sure the inside of your home looks and feels super warm and snuggly courtesy of lots of layered fabrics and tactile texture, says Eileen Leahy

T’S THE start of the New Year, so what better time to give your home a fresh feel for 2019? And whether you’re focusing on just one room or more, be careful not to overlook the aspect of texture. Not only does it add depth and general visual interest to a space, it’s also an integral part of achieving a creative and comfortable look and feel. After all, why on earth wouldn’t you want a to pad about on a super-soft rug underfoot or to snuggle up in a cosy cashmere throw? But it’s not just luxurious fabrics that make a house a home and an interesting place to dwell. When selecting items to prettify and personalise your surroundings, think about different types of materials that will add that extra special something. Glimmering glass, chunky ceramics,

smooth, polished wood and fluffy cushions are just a few finishes that’ll help lift a scheme out of the ordinary and give any room character. Nowadays, the high street and online are brimming with interesting, unique finds. Try places such as Anthropologie (anthropologie. eu) for cool crockery, statement accessories and quirky patterned textiles. You could also have a look at the distinctive offerings at Cox & Cox (coxandcox.com) and also Zara Home (zarahome.com), which has a very comprehensive range of contemporary, classic and also exotic goodies to covet. As any canny decorator knows, it’s essential to keep an eye out for any unusual or individual pieces as they make your home look and feel so much more unique. So for every nationwide

Wednesday January 9 | 2019

retailer you visit, make sure you balance it out with a trip to your local charity shop, salvage yard or house clearance place. They truly are treasure troves of interiors inspo and will certainly give your space some vitality. You also need to pay attention to your colour palette so things are slick and streamlined. You can adopt one with similar tones such as the beautiful neutral ones featured in the main image from Marks & Spencer. Or if you can go dark and dramatic or introduce a chic contrast, such as hot pink or rich green, against paler shades.

Rustic But whatever combo you choose, make sure there is also lots of attention to textural details, such as mirrors, glinting glass, snuggly sheepskin and mohair, as doing so you’ll create a warm and inviting scheme. A space inspired by the beauty of nature, such as stone objects or natural ornamental grasses, is another clever way to introduce texture into your home, as is using paints with a more rustic finish to them such as lime washes and chalky emulsions (try Francessca’s Paints francesscaspaints.com for both). Exposed brick walls and wooden flooring are other good ways of adding bold textural touch points to a scheme which will eventually help you create a tactile dimension to your décor and ensure your room oozes style and character. What’s not to love about that?

MAIN IMAGE COURTESY OF Marks & Spencer Homes 2019

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Get the look

You’ve read all about how texture adds interest and character to a room, now here’s how to do it in your own home with these key pieces

Interiors

GLASS ACT Gallery Hayle Round Mirror, £249.99, Very, very.co.uk

FLAME THROWER Everyday Luxe Candle Wooden Base, £12.99, Sainsbury’s Home, sainsburys.co.uk

SITTING PRETTY Adwell Medium Sofa in Livie Grey £1,199, Marks & Spencer, marksandspencer.com BE SQUARE Design Project by John Lewis Lilac grey Cushion (No 033), £40, John Lewis, johnlewis.com

UTTERLY FLUFFY Grey tipped Mongolian cushion, £48, River Island, riverisland.com

LIGHT FANTASTIC Anglepoise Type 75 Desk Lamp in Silver Lustre, £170, Amara, amara.com

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AT A GLANCE UPPER GROSVENOR ROAD TUNBRIDGE WELLS n A 4-bedroom detached house dating back to around 1865, with 3 floors n Porch with original tiled flooring n Entrance hall with elegant staircase n Sitting room featuring a wide bay window and a gas fireplace with marble and wood surround n Family room with tiled surround open fireplace and bay window n Dining room with tiled surround feature fireplace n Well fitted kitchen/breakfast room with access to garden n TV room n 2 cloakrooms n 4 good-sized bedrooms (one with en-suite shower) n Family bathroom n Garden with wrap-around terrace n Driveway and garage

ASKING PRICE

£990,000

CONTACT • Hamptons International, Tunbridge Wells • 01892 516611 • hamptons.co.uk

An attractive Victorian house enjoying a highly convenient location for both town and station

Wednesday January 9 | 2019

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New Homes

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Property Focus

NEW HOMES

The Grove

Rye Road, Hawkhurst New homes still available priced from

£435,000-£730,000

CONTACT

• Connells, Tunbridge Wells • 01892 547966 • connells.co.uk THIS appealing Riverdale development, within walking distance of the pretty village of Hawkhurst, has proved very popular – and there are still a few homes ready for lovers of rural living to snap up. The Grove is a niche collection of 17 three, four and five-bedroom homes, and there are a variety of different house types and sizes to choose from. Built to an impeccable standard, and located in a private cul-de-sac surrounded by wonderful views, they are ideal for modern family living. Highlights include spacious interiors; underfloor heating to the ground floors; kitchens with integrated Bosch appliances; bathrooms with fully fitted Roca sanitaryware; a garage to all plots;

and landscaped rear gardens. Buyers can also utilise the governmentbacked Help to Buy scheme, which provides greater assistance for first-time buyers to get on to the property ladder, and further incentives may also still be available. Hawkhurst is convenient for some good schools, including Cranbrook, has a range of shops and its own boutique cinema, and is just under five miles from mainline railway services to London from Etchingham Station.

You can make an appointment to visit the site and show home from Thursdays to Mondays, 10am-4pm MODERN RURAL LIVING With picturesque outlooks

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Property Focus

LET TINGS

Henrietta Place Tunbridge Wells

AVAILABLE TO LET AT

£1,600 PCM + FEES

Woodlands

Lughorse Lane, Yalding AVAILABLE TO LET FROM JANUARY 26, 2019 AT

£4,000 PCM + FEES

A substantial 6-bedroom, 6-bathroom former coach house lying off a quiet country lane. This superbly presented family home lies within large maintained gardens, and there is flexibility on the furnishings. MAIN POINTS OF INTEREST n Spacious entrance hall n South-facing reception room with wood burner and French doors to patio n Vast games room/reception room with patio doors to the gardens n Good-sized dining room n Spectacular open-plan kitchen/breakfast room with access to garden n Study n 2 stairways n 6 bedrooms, all with en-suite facilities n Beautiful grounds of approximately 4.5 acres, including paddock n Shared tennis court CONTACT • Savills, Tunbridge Wells Lettings • 01892 507050 • savills.co.uk

Lettings

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A luxury, modern, 2-bedroom apartment in King Edward Gardens. It is situated on the ground floor in a gated pedestrian area of the prestigious new Royal Wells Park development, lying off Mount Ephraim. MAIN POINTS OF INTEREST n Wide entrance hallway n Video entryphone n TV, satellite, phone and data to all principal rooms CONTACT • Kings Estates, Tunbridge Wells • 01892 533367 • kings-estates.co.uk

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n Individually controlled underfloor heating n Open-plan kitchen/living room with French doors to private covered terrace n Integrated Sonos audio system with speakers built-in to sitting room and master bedroom ceilings n Master bedroom with en-suite shower room and direct access to garden n Further double bedroom with direct access to garden n Family bathroom

Wednesday January 9 | 2019

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Life on the veg

Why going vegan helps your health – and the planet Pages 52-53

HIDDEN FEMALE VOICES

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EXPERIENCE A TASTE OF JAPAN

62 In fine tune

The Forum pays tribute to David Bowie Page 50

ANGELS’ GREAT FIGHTBACK

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Giving a voice to history’s

unheard female poets

Wednesday January 9 | 2019

TALES THAT NEED TO BE TOLD Author Ana Sampson

After the centenary of the suffragettes’ success, it’s a good time for local writer Ana Sampson to talk to us about her new book– She is Fierce: Brave, Bold and Beautiful Poems by Women. Here she tells us why it is so vital to celebrate the hidden history of female poets through the ages…

N 2017, I decided to buy a general anthology of poetry by women – a volume that would include voices spanning many centuries and voices from diverse backgrounds. I discovered, to my surprise, that there wasn’t one, and I resolved to rectify that. I included many contemporary writers, but during my research I also uncovered a rich seam of women’s writing and wondered why I wasn’t familiar with many of the fantastic works in this hidden history, despite having edited five previous anthologies. These voices simply hadn’t been heard. A hundred years after women won the right to vote felt like the perfect time to share their poetry and their stories. The canon of well-known poetry is stuffed with women, but they’re almost exclusively viewed through the eyes of men. I asked myself first why more women didn’t write in previous centuries. The most obvious reason was lack of education. Even aristocratic women received a rudimentary education compared to their brothers, with no grounding in the highbrow subjects considered suitable for poetry, such as history or the classics. Elizabeth Barrett Browning lamented the lack of ‘poetic grandmothers’ forming a tradition for female writers to aspire to. But it was more than this: For many centuries they faced ridicule and condemnation, as 18th-century parents fretted

‘Elizabeth Barrett Browning lamented the lack of ‘poetic grandmothers’ forming a tradition for female writers to aspire to’ that their bookish daughters would put off suitors, and male writers railed against women who diverted their attention from domestic duties to writing. I discovered a wealth of beautiful nocturnal poems, and wondered whether that was the only time women could carve out to write, once their (often, in previous eras, very large) families had finally gone to bed. Poetry is – as poet Polly Clark has said – an ‘elite sport’. It requires learning, leisure and liberty – all things men have enjoyed more than women

throughout history. The career path of the Romantic poet – tramping off to rugged and solitary places to seek inspiration – was difficult for women to pursue until relatively recently. Their very clothes conspired against them, they had chaperones imposed upon them, and nobody had yet invented hiking boots. Women did write, despite all these factors, but for many of them publishing their work was unimaginable. Even into the 19th century, it was not considered quite seemly for women to market their books. Selling your work seemed scandalously akin to selling yourself. So some writers circulated their work only among their friends, like Catherine Maria Fanshawe, whose famous ‘Riddle on the Letter H’ has often been ascribed to Byron. (She was rather well-connected at the court of George III, so her influential friends preserved and eventually published her poems.) Many were only published posthumously. I loved researching Mary Leapor, an 18-century kitchenmaid who was fired for burning the dinner as she wrote.

Ambitious and unwilling to let lack of education hold her back, she wrote plays as well as verse, but died young from measles and never saw her work in print. Some women published under pseudonyms. Some were published by others, relieving them of the stigma of appearing pushy – an accusation still wearyingly regularly levelled at women in the public eye. Anne Bradstreet emigrated to one of the earliest American colonies and her poetry was published back in London by her brother-in-law. Early editions emphasised her pious, Puritan respectability and the fact that she hadn’t given permission for them to appear – though recently it has been suggested rather hearteningly that she not only knew but engineered the publication of her books. Even in the mid-20th century, Anne Halley –

Wednesday January 9 | 2019

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These women faced an even a German Jew whose family harder fight to have their had fled the Nazis to America work heard. – recalled her writing being I wanted to tell these lambasted by male editors for women’s stories, so ‘female self-pity’ and ‘kitchen researched the biographies sink imagery’, experiences of every writer included that galvanised her lifelong in She is Fierce. I was commitment to fighting for awed by them, from Knole equality. and Sissinghurst’s Vita It has been hard for women Sackville-West and freed writers to get their work taken slaves to Bluestockings seriously, even when it has – who rebelled against been published. Many of the 18th-century society women I researched also merely by discussing came from under-represented intellectual topics over tea. communities and faced a From a tragic suffragette double barrier to recognition. SUCCESS STORY: Writer Vita Sackville- to campaigning Victorian Frances Harper was an West, of Knole and Sissinghurst Castle ladies of letters; from civil anti-slavery activist who rights activists to pioneering refused to give up her seat in scientists and refugee schoolgirls, these were a segregated trolley car a hundred years before and are incredible women who have produced Rosa Parks made her stand, and Pauli Murray – wonderful work. In defiance of everything who eventually became California’s first black stacked against them, they wrote. District Attorney – was arrested for sitting in And now – I hope – they will be read. the whites-only part of a bus in 1940s Virginia.

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Friend of the earth MORE THAN WORDS Poet Steve Walter

DID YOU KNOW? n Charlotte, Emily and Anne Brontë originally published poetry under male pseudonyms as Currer, Ellis and Acton Bell – but their book sales were so disappointing, they turned to novel writing instead. n George Eliot was the pseudonym of Mary Ann Evans. n The seminal Penguin Poetry of the Thirties anthology included only one poem by a woman n It’s estimated that only 1 per cent of everything published in the 17th century was written by women She is Fierce: Brave, Bold and Beautiful Poems by Women edited by Ana Sampson is published by Macmillan, priced from £9

NOVEL SISTERS The Brontës

On January 16, Steve Walter, a writer and poet based in Tunbridge Wells, will be performing his new poem, Gaia 2020 – a tribute to planet earth and his late parents – at the University of Peace in San José in Costa Rica. Ahead of that event, and next month’s reading in his home town, he tells the Times why he felt inspired and compelled to write this epic 2,020-word poem, which encompasses love, death and a determination to save our planet… HALF the art of writing a poem is to listen; to listen to the moment, to discover what it has to say. My latest poem, Gaia 2020, began as a simple question to my late parents: “What do you say to me now?” and their reply was: “Remember where you came from…” This took me to reflecting on the life of the planet, celebrating it as our home, and thinking of it as a living creature in its own right. Imagine if you could see the ages of the earth sped up, as if through time-lapse film, rocks forming and reforming, all with different characters, some as special crystals, or weathered down to create a pool of nutrients. Essential elements that make up life, sustain us and the biosphere.

‘It worried me then and it worries me now; what we have done and continue to do, destroying the planet’ I didn’t set out to write an extra-long poem, but initially I wrote some 5,000 words, then whittled it down to 2,020, to match a developing theme which encompasses how greater change in our thinking needs to happen right now. Recently the World Wildlife Fund has issued its powerful Living Planet report warning of the significance of 2020, when the world will review its progress on sustainable development by means of the Sustainable Development Goals, the Paris Agreement and the Convention on Biological Diversity: “This is when the world should embrace a new global deal for nature and people,” it says, “and truly demonstrate the path we are choosing for people and the planet.” I wrote about man’s harm to the planet when I was a schoolboy. It worried me then and

it worries me now; what we have done and continue to do, destroying the planet. My new poem also has a thread of contemporary life running through it, with quotes and snippets of song lyrics over the last 50 years, and was recently described by the Mental Health Resource – this year’s Tunbridge Wells Mayor’s charity – as being ‘incredibly thought provoking’. It also notes the importance nature plays in helping people to feel better after a mental health crisis, saying: ‘we are as much part of nature, as nature is part of us’. So, I wrote Gaia 2020 for several reasons, touching on loss, on grief. I wanted to offer something to my late parents, both of whom cared for the earth and were concerned at how we’ve treated it, and to remember the impermanence of all who live upon it. We’re all in this together: We love, we live and yes, we die, but we want the earth to go on supporting the diversity of life for our children, and for the planet’s sake… We are all responsible for what we consume and what we throw away. Carol Rumens, Professor of English Literature at Bangor University, perfectly encapsulates Gaia 2020’s purpose for me courtesy of her review, where she describes the poem as being both an ‘elegy and tribute’ honouring my parents and the earth they cared for. She goes on to say: “Sounding notes of warning and love, Gaia 2020 is a moving addition to the rich and expanding literature of ecological concern.” Next month I will be doing a special reading of the poem at the Tunbridge Wells Friends of the Earth branch and I do hope you will join me there. To find out more about this, or to order a copy of Gaia 2020 and make a donation to Friends of the Earth, visit makingconnectionsmatter.org and justgiving.com/Gaia2020

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Going Out

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goingout 7 days of activities

By Imogen Boullé & Jerome Bowman

A HARVEST OF AMAZING GARDEN SHOTS In the oast house at Sissinghurst Castle Gardens

If you haven’t seen double Golden Globe winner Bohemian Rhapsody yet, now is your chance. The Odeon will be screening this moving depiction of rock music’s greatest front man. Rami Malek plays Freddie Mercury with uncanny ease, and of course it has a great soundtrack to boot. Tickets are £11.50 per adult, and you can book them at odeon.co.uk/films/bohemian_rhapsody Tickets are now available for the Colin Payne Kent Open squash tournament. This is a world ranking tournament featuring many big names, including rising star Charlie Lee as well as world No 1 Jan Van den Herrewegen, playing for the prestigious title. You can purchase tickets by going to twsrc.mycourts.co.uk/2019_kent_ open.asp FRIDAY The Big Brocante will be setting up shop this Friday at The Hop Farm in Paddock Wood. Browse the curated stalls for antiques, haberdashery and kitchenalia from 9am till 4pm. Tickets cost £5 per adult at the gate, and accompanied under-16s enter for free. You can find out more by going to thebigbrocante.co.uk

Wednesday January 9 | 2019

If you feel like having a quiet Friday night, take a trip to Italy whilst watching Enchanted April, the story of the Mediterranean country’s influence on worn-out Londoners. The perfect way to de-stress after a long week of work. Alfred Molina, Joan Plowwright and Miranda Richardson star, and it’s being screened by Frant Film Club. It costs £17 for a season of eight films, which is a commitment worth making for film buffs. For more information, visit frantvillagehall.co.uk/ users/frant-film SATURDAY Rusthall Community Cinema will be screening Goodbye Christopher Robin this evening. Tickets for the biographical drama about AA Milne and his family, in particular his son Christopher, will be £5 for non-members and free for subscription holders. This will include a post-film discussion group. Details can be found by going to rusthallcinema.club Green-fingered photographers should visit Sissinghurst Castle Gardens this Saturday for the International Garden Photographer of the Year Exhibition. This will be held in the oast WILL YOU DO THE FANDANGO? Rami Malek stars as Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody at the Odeon

WEDNESDAY This is your last chance to visit the award-winning Fairfax Gallery’s latest exhibition. See hundreds of works by both established and emerging artists before it closes on Saturday (January 12). For more details, visit fairfaxgallery.com Go along to the Oast Theatre in Tonbridge this evening to the opening night of Things I Know to be True, a story of family and marriage through the eyes of four grown-up siblings. Running till January 16, this is a lighthearted as well as poignant performance. Prices start from £10 and

you can book tickets at oasttheatre.cloudvenue. co.uk/thingsiknowtobetrue THURSDAY John Arkell will be presenting an illustrated talk entitled A Snapshot in Time, on the Tunbridge Wells Museum lantern slide collection, to the January meeting of the Royal Tunbridge Wells Civic Society at 7.30pm tonight at the Royal Wells Hotel on Mount Ephraim. If you are not a member it will cost just £2 on the door. For more information, go to thecivicsociety.org

Wednesday January 9 | 2019

FOR EVEN MORE NEWS VISIT: timeslocalnews.co.uk PURE VINTAGE Enjoy a taste of The Big Brocante at The Hop Farm

Going Out

PICK OF THE WEEK: Comedy Tapas

The Sussex Arms, Sussex Mews Sunday, January 13, 7.45pm

The Sussex Arms will be hosting another of its Comedy Tapas evenings this Sunday. The line-up includes baritone comedian

house from 11am-4pm. The event is free but the standard admission charge applies for this National Trust property. For more information, see nationaltrust.org.uk/sissinghurst-castle-garden Why not take a trip down to the Hush Heath Winery near Staplehurst for a Winter Winery Tour? Be guided through the process of winemaking followed by the tasting of six award-winning wines and ciders. The wine tasting and tour costs £20 per person. For more information, visit hushheath.com/tours-tastings SUNDAY Go along early to Tonbridge Farmers’ Market to stock up on unique and quality produce. Located in Sovereign Way, it’s on between 9.30 am and 1.30pm today. The Mercure Tunbridge Wells Hotel at Pembury is hosting The Kent Wedding Fair today from 10.30am to 3pm – a crucial part in planning your big day. Go along to meet top local wedding suppliers and browse an extensive range of exhibitors to give you inspiration to ensure your wedding is perfect.

MONDAY Join Storysock in the Woods for a wintery tale at Grosvenor and Hilbert Park. This free event is suitable for all ages and will take place outdoors, so don’t forget your scarf and woolly hat! Children must be accompanied by an adult, and booking is essential. To reserve a place, please email: emma.peters@tunbridgewells.gov.uk TUESDAY This evening Trinity Theatre will broadcast live the Almeida Theatre production of Shakespeare’s Richard II. The disquieting Simon Russell Beale, who played Beria in The Death of Stalin, is cast in the eponymous role. This is a real must for theatre fans. You can book tickets online at trinitytheatre.net If you fancy an evening of poetry, why not go along to the Kent and Sussex Poetry Society? They will meet at their new venue, The Vale Vaults below The Bedford pub in Vale Road, at 8pm, and you will be entertained by a variety of readings from poets Susan Wicks, Mara Bergman and David Hensley.

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Jason Patterson and the upand-coming Russian contrarian Konstantin Kisin. Beer and laughter is guaranteed at just £6 for an early bird ticket or £8 on the door. You can find out more about the event at facebook.com/ComedyTapas

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Going Out

FOR EVEN MORE NEWS VISIT: timeslocalnews.co.uk THE GREY LADY MUSIC LOUNGE The Pantiles Doors 7.15pm, entry £6/£7, websites pdag.co.uk & thegreylady.co.uk Wednesday Milly McCarron, Mangetout Recovery and Holly Stanford Friday Reggae with Jack Curtis Saturday Private Party Sunday Emily Izen Row

Wednesday January 9 | 2019

HOLLY STANFORD Aspiring young singersongwriter from Kent

THE FORUM The Common Find full event information and tickets at twforum.co.uk Friday David Bowie Night

THE ASSEMBLY HALL THEATRE Crescent Road Event information and tickets at assemblyhalltheatre.co.uk Saturday Think Floyd Sunday Vivaldi and Piazzolla – The 8 Seasons

THE BEAU NASH TAVERN

live music With Paul Dunton

OR a great midweek outing, popular local singer-songwriter Holly Stanford headlines The Grey Lady with great support from Mangetout Recovery and Milly McCarron tonight [Wednesday]. I also highly recommend the David Bowie celebration night this Friday at The Forum, and my top picks for

Mount Ephraim Open all day, free entry Music from 8.30pm till late Saturday Alex Gold

THE ROYAL OAK Prospect Road Open all day, free entry Music from 8.30pm till late Saturday Zimmermen

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

THE DUKE OF YORK Saturday include Think Floyd at The Assembly Hall Theatre, Alex Gold at The Beau Nash Tavern and Zimmermen at The Royal Oak pub. Looking ahead to next week, on Monday night The Duke of York run their popular Open Mic night, and The George host the TWUNTS Ukulele Jam Session. Enjoy!

The Pantiles Open all day, free entry, music from 8pm Monday Open Mic Night BOWING TO BOWIE The annual David Bowie music night tribute at The Forum is on Friday

THE GEORGE PUB Mount Ephraim Open all day, free entry Music from 8pm Monday TWUNTS: Ukulele Jam Session

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food

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Wednesday January 9 | 2019

Viva the vegans

‘Veganuary’ is now officially a thing thanks to the increasing number of people who have decided to try turning vegan for January – and beyond. Eileen Leahy finds out more about this month-long culinary commitment, and chats to local vegan restaurateur Geff Stone to get some tips if you want to try it, too… ALL THE RIGHT INGREDIENTS Geff Stone

EGANUARY is a movement which inspires people all over the world to try a vegan diet for a month – usually during January. It was started in 2013 by Matthew Glover and Jane Land, a couple from Yorkshire who wanted to reduce animal suffering ‘as effectively as possible’. Since the Veganuary movement began six years ago it has seen the number of people taking the vegan ‘pledge’ double year upon year, and now has over 193 countries involved. It has also become a registered charity. During the month of January the aim is to follow a meat and dairy-free plant-based diet. Those who take the Veganuary pledge are

supported through a series of emails, social media content, including a Facebook support group, and also plenty of resourceful recipes, nutritional advice and meal plans. A spokesperson for Veganuary says: “Some participants choose to use the month to raise money for good causes. By the end of their month trying vegan, participants know much more about eating a vegan diet, how easy and tasty it can be, and about the many positive impacts it has on animals, the environment, and our health. Many people choose to go vegan permanently after taking part.” According to The Guardian newspaper, the start of this year saw 14,000 people sign up in just one day to the Veganuary pledge – that’s an

impressive rate of one every six seconds. A key reason many more are adopting a plant-based diet is thanks to its wealth of health benefits, but an increasing number are also going vegan due to scientists’ stern warnings about the environmental cost of meat. In May last year Jospeh Poore, a scientist at Oxford University, revealed the most comprehensive analysis to date regarding the damage such farming does to the planet. He went on to outline how giving up eating meat and dairy was the single biggest thing an individual could do to help protect the environment. “A vegan diet is probably the single biggest way to reduce your impact on planet Earth,” he said.

“Not just greenhouse gases but global acidification, eutrophication, land use and water use. It is far bigger than cutting down on your flights or buying an electric car.” According to the supermarket chain Waitrose, one in eight Britons is now vegetarian or vegan, and a further 21 per cent say they are ‘flexitarian’ – which basically means they will now and again include a small amount of meat or fish in a predominantly vegetable or plant-based diet. Over the past few years, the vegan movement in general has seen a colossal rise of 260 per cent, according to The Vegan Society. Geff Stone who runs The Plant Base in Camden Road, Tunbridge Wells, agrees that adopting a vegan diet is definitely on the rise. “Veganism is huge news now, and if you’re not one you probably know one. One of us may have even graced your dinner parties over the festive season to field your many questions, and to watch really closely which gravy’s in which jug!” Geff goes on to say that if you do decide to go vegan it’s important ‘not to panic’: “We still get caught out by hidden and entirely pointless milk powder in an ingredients list, and so will you.” And an event such as Veganuary will certainly help you to do your research – whether that’s for yourself following a vegan diet or catering for someone who is. Geff offers a couple of great winter meat-free meal ideas for the colder months which include Portobello mushroom and chard wellington and roast beetroot and red onion tart with mulled wine. And when it comes to perfecting the perfect roast potatoes (without goose fat or butter, obviously) he gives the following advice: “Par boil them just enough so the outsides have started to cook, but not all the way through. While you’re doing this, put a good knob of coconut oil in your roasting dish and pop it in the preheated oven. When the potatoes are ready, drain them and give them a good shake in the pan. They should go fluffy on the outsides without falling apart. “Now get your hot roasting dish out and get your potatoes in it, get them nice and coated with the oil and season with some good quality sea salt flakes, then put them straight into the oven until they are crispy and golden. Give them a couple of shakes along the way so they don’t stick.”

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Wednesday January 9 | 2019

CHOCOLATE LAYER CAKE with fresh berries SERVES 10 PREP 30 MINS COOK 40 MINS, plus cooling INGREDIENTS n 340g (12oz) plain flour n 400g (14oz) caster sugar n 13⁄4 tsp bicarbonate of soda n 55g (2oz) vegan cocoa powder n 1⁄4 tsp salt n 450ml (15fl oz) unsweetened soya milk or water n 100ml (31⁄2fl oz) corn or vegetable oil, plus extra for greasing n 11⁄2 tbsp white vinegar n 11⁄2 tsp vanilla extract

BEETROOT & BUCKWHEAT SOUP with lemon yogurt sauce SERVES 4 PREP 15 MINS COOK 1 HR 5 MINS INGREDIENTS n 200g (7oz) buckwheat n 1 tbsp light olive oil n 1 onion, finely chopped n 750g (1lb 10oz) beetroot, trimmed and cut into small chunks n 500ml (16fl oz) vegetable stock n 400g (14oz) can chopped tomatoes

n Salt and freshly ground black pepper n Handful of rosemary leaves

LEMON YOGURT SAUCE n 250g (9oz) soya yogurt or coconut milk yogurt n juice of 1 lemon 1. Rinse the buckwheat, then place in a medium saucepan and cover with 500ml (16 fl oz) of boiling water. Cook for about 15 minutes until tender. Set aside. 2. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the onion and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until translucent. Then add the beetroot and stock. Bring the mixture to a

simmer and cook for 30-40 minutes, until the beetroot is tender. 3. Add the tomatoes to the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes. Transfer the soup to a food processor and pulse until it reaches a smooth consistency. Season to taste, if needed. Pour the soup back into the pan and heat through over a low heat for 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat. 4. For the sauce, place the ingredients in a bowl and mix to combine. Divide the soup between 4 bowls and top with the sauce. Then add equal quantities of the buckwheat, garnish with rosemary, and serve hot.

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vinegar, and vanilla extract, and add to the flour mixture. Stir until smooth. 3. Divide the mixture between the prepared tins and use a palette knife or spatula to spread evenly. Bake in the oven for about 40 minutes until risen and firm to the touch. 4. Cool in the tins for 10 minutes then turn out on to a wire rack, remove the baking parchment and leave to cool

completely. Slice each cake in half horizontally. 5. To make the ganache, melt the dark chocolate and combine with the plant-based milk. 6. Sandwich the cakes together using half the ganache for the first 3 layers. Spread the remainder on the top and sides and rough up with a knife. Sprinkle with chocolate shavings or decorate with fresh berries, if you like.

GANACHE n 300g (10oz) vegan dark chocolate n 300ml (10fl oz) plant-based milk TO DECORATE n 45g (11⁄2oz) vegan chocolate, shaved with a potato peeler, or a selection of fresh berries if preferred 1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC (350ºF/Gas 4). Grease and line with baking parchment the bases of 2 deep 20cm (8in), round sandwich tins. 2. Sift together into a large bowl the flour, sugar, bicarbonate of soda, cocoa, and salt. In a separate bowl, mix together the liquid ingredients: The soya milk or water, corn oil,

There’s a Vegan in the House is published by DK, £14.99

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travel

Travel

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Wednesday January 9 | 2019

5 top travel trends for 2019: Inspiration for taking a truly memorable holiday this year

From mind-altering art exhibitions to under-the-radar beaches, Sarah Marshall charts the escapes set to top our travel wish lists

HERE are almost 200 countries in the world today – that’s a lot of potential passport stamps to collect. For most of us, though, it’s unlikely we’ll ever get around to crossing off even a fraction of the globe, which makes choosing where to go an important decision. Some destinations and regions do rise to the fore, however, making them particularly appealing to visit right now. Whether it’s the launch of a new flight route improving access, an anniversary generating exciting exhibitions, or simply an emerging trend gaining pace, several factors make these five places ripe for 2019. So these destinations should be filling your next available passport pages…

been converted into tourist-pleasing restaurants and hotels. A programme of events is planned for the year ahead. matera-basilicata2019.it/en

THE MAGIC OF MATERA This year’s European Capital of Culture

HOW: Hedonistic Hiking offers a Southern Italy tour visiting Matera from £2,697 pp, including all accommodation, meals with wine, activities and transfers. Departures on June 11 and September 18. hedonistichiking.com

3. AN AFFORDABLE WAY TO REACH RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL A city of mountains rising from the Atlantic Ocean, Rio de Janeiro has an irresistibly romantic allure. The 2016 Olympics gave the destination plenty of worldwide airtime, and now a new budget flight route means the South American party hub is within more peoples’ reach. On March 31, Norwegian will begin a direct service to Rio, following the success of their Buenos Aires route, launched last February. While many will use the flight as an opportunity to explore Brazil’s wide-ranging riches, there’s plenty to keep you occupied in Rio for a few days.

1. SUN, SEA AND SURF IN SRI LANKA Ten years after a violent civil war was finally put to rest, this teardrop-shaped Indian Ocean island is now one of the most sought-after travel destinations. Initially, affordability was the big draw; holidaying on its sun-splashed beaches costs a fraction of what its flashy neighbours would cost. But now word has spread of the other attractions on offer. Lonely Planet named Sri Lanka the number one destination to visit in 2019, largely on the basis of its ‘mix of religions and cultures, timeless temples, rich and accessible wildlife, growing surf scene and its people’. Once off-limits to visitors due to clashes between the Sri Lanka Army and Tamil Tigers, the north-east coast is the country’s fastest rising star. Port city Trincomalee has some excellent opportunities for whale watching and provides a quieter alternative to overloaded Mirissa in the south. Arugam Bay, meanwhile, has a laid-back surf scene and claims to receive some of Asia’s best waves. Inland, tea tourism is gathering pace, while wildlife fans are heading to Yala for sightings of leopards and Minneriya National Park for large elephant herds. HOW: G Adventures offers a 7-day Sailing Sri Lanka – North Coast tour from £899 pp, for various departures in February, March, November and December. Flights and meals extra. gadventures.co.uk

2. A PLEASING DOSE OF CULTURE IN ITALY Boasting 54 Unesco World Heritage Sites, more than anywhere else in the world, Italy is a magnet for anyone keen on culture. A master of both the arts and science, Leonardo da Vinci was the archetypal Renaissance man, so the 500th anniversary of his death on May 2, 2019, has spawned a year’s worth of commemorations and exhibitions. From April 19 to July 14, the Gallerie dell’Accademia in Venice will launch a new exhibition dedicated to the great polymath, displaying one of his most iconic drawings, the Vitruvian Man. Meanwhile in Florence, the Museo Galileo’s exhibition Leonardo Da

‘Japan is on its marks to get set for two major sporting events… the Rugby World Cup and the 2020 Olympics’ Vinci: Anatomies: Machines, Human Body, Nature (April 21-October 7) looks at his studies of the human body, which he regarded as a sophisticated mechanical device. The master’s most famous work, The Last Supper, hangs in the refectory of Milan’s Santa Maria delle Grazie convent, although to see PEACE AT LAST A beach at Trincomalee in Sri Lanka

it you’ll need to purchase tickets in advance. cenacolovinciano.vivaticket.it Further south, all eyes will be set on Matera, the European Capital of Culture. Blighted by poverty, the city in Basilicata was once a source of national embarrassment, but in recent decades its famous sassi – rock dwellings – have

Seeing the city from above is definitely a highlight; climb to the top of the Christ the Redeemer statue or take a cable car over to the tip of Sugarloaf Mountain. Brazilians treat the beach like their front room, and spending time in Rio’s sandy bays is the best way to integrate with local life: Copacabana is

Wednesday January 9 | 2019

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Travel

MORNING MIST Over Rio’s Sugarloaf Mountain and Botafogo Bay

STREET LIFE: In Osaka, Japan

5. HONOURING THE PAST IN BERLIN, GERMANY

busy and boisterous, while Ipanema and Leblon are classier and quieter. For a taste of Rio’s past, head to the gabled mansions climbing the hillside in Santa Teresa. A cherished part of the community since 1877, the canary yellow Bondinho de Santa Teresa tram car operates journeys into downtown. HOW: Norwegian offers flights from London Gatwick to Rio from £239.90 one way. norwegian.com/uk

4. SPORTING EVENTS IN OSAKA, JAPAN Japan is on its marks to get set for two major sporting events, with televised scenes of the country’s snow-crested mountains and neon-lit cities very likely to tempt visitors. On September 20, the Rugby World Cup will kick off for the first time in Asia; over the course of six weeks, 48 matches will be played at 12 venues nationwide. Whetting an appetite for

competition, the tournaments will no doubt set a healthy precedent for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. In anticipation of growing demand for the destination, British Airways will launch a new direct flight from London to Osaka in April 2019, starting at £572 return. Although only an hour’s train ride from Kyoto and two and a half hours from Tokyo, Osaka has enough to keep visitors occupied for several days. Now surrounded by skyscrapers, the 16thcentury Osaka Castle is a fairy-tale stack of sloped roofs surrounded by cherry trees. For families, Universal Studios Japan has characters extra-larger than life. HOW: Abercrombie & Kent offers a 14-night Discover Japan tour rom £4,445 pp, including flights, accommodation and transfers. 01242 547 760 / abercrombiekent.co.uk

A symbol of strength and authority in Europe, it’s easy to forget Germany was once divided. This year marks 30 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall, a physical and metaphorical barrier between east and west, in place since 1961. On November 9, 1989, following a wave of revolutionary activity in Eastern Bloc countries, East Berlin’s Communist Party declared residents of the GDR were free to cross to the

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other side. People from both sides responded by clambering on to the wall, and the government officially began demolition work a year later. Memories of the past are still preserved in Berlin: Former squats in Mitte and Friedrichshain are now bars and restaurants; the East Side Gallery is a section of the wall left standing and converted into an open-air art display. But commemorations will also be taking place in the eastern city Leipzig. On October 9, 1989 – a month prior to the fall of the wall – more than 70,000 people joined a non-violent protest for freedom and democracy, which many believe had an impact on events in Berlin. The monumental march is now celebrated annually with a Festival of Lights. HOW: Explore is offering a one-off opportunity to cycle the 155km length of the former Berlin Wall, accompanied by a guide who grew up in East Germany. The 7-day Cycle the Berlin Wall departs September 16 and costs from £1,420 pp, including flights to Berlin, transfers, B&B accommodation and bike hire. Luggage is transported between hotels. explore.co.uk

FALL OF THE WALL: It’s 30 years since the Berlin border was opened

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Motoring

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Motoring News World’s biggest car makers suffer as profits dip in 2018 DESPITE a year of innovation and a surge in new product, the value of the automotive industry’s biggest global companies fell by £100billion in 2018. It was well documented that the industry was plagued with problems globally last year, caused mainly by import tariffs, political pressures and fuel-type concerns, and 15 of the largest publicly listed car manufacturers dropped in value. At the start of the year, they had a shared market value of almost £700billion, but by the end of 2018, this had dropped by £122billion to £588billion. One of the largest automotive companies, Mercedes’ parent company Daimler, felt the problems most and issued two profit warnings, with its value falling by £22billion. Ford saw the second biggest drop, down £13billion, with

Volkswagen close behind, down £12billion. Speaking to The Telegraph, Professor David Bailey of Aston University’s Economics, Finance & Entrepreneurship Department, said: “The shares of some car companies – such as Ford – have been in decline for several years, but 2018 saw a sharp reversal for others that had previously been doing well. “This has been driven by both sector-specific and broader economic trends. From a sector point of view, diesel’s demise has dented profits and companies are having to invest heavily in new technologies such as electric and autonomous cars.” He added: “The threat of a tariff war between the US and China and a big slowdown in China has dented growth prospects.”

Wednesday January 9 | 2019

This week… Profits in reverse  Batteries warning  Icy vehicle alert 

THAT FLAT FEELING: Make sure you are charged up

How poor battery maintenance can prove a big drain in winter Halfords have alerted drivers to keep a check on their batteries in the winter weather after a survey found Brits are pretty clueless when it comes to battery maintenance. Nearly half of motorists quizzed (46%) said they didn’t know how to jump-start their car, while around one in six of 25 to 34 year-olds (16%) admitted they’d be unable to even locate their car’s battery. The survey of 2,000 drivers also found that 40% of Brits avoid driving in wintry weather. However, leaving cars unused for a spell – such as over the Christmas and New Year holidays – or only using them for local trips, can result in a flat battery, as starting the car takes more energy from the battery

than the alternator can put back over a short journey. Using the heater, windscreen wipers and headlights also increases load on the battery, while cold temperatures decrease battery efficiency. The AA recommends taking your car on regular trips of half an hour or longer to boost the battery, or connecting it to a trickle charger if possible. Halfords warned that at this time of year ‘potentially millions of motorists’ could be left stranded due to a combination of poor battery maintenance, cold temperatures and cars being left unused. The firm previously said demand for replacement car batteries doubles over the Christmas period.

Driver failure to de-ice windscreens properly may lead to £60 fines ICE is another big issue in winter, and motorists who fail to properly clear iced-up vehicle windscreens could face hefty fines. The offence, which is referred to as ‘pothole vision’, means drivers have a restricted view out of the windscreen and is punishable by a £60 fine. It’s an easy issue to avoid however, providing you properly remove the ice from your windscreen. Resist the urge to start the car and leave it alone to warm up – this could potentially invalidate insurance cover while leaving it prey to theft. The only items which should be used to clear a frozen screen and windows are deicer and an ice scraper. Pouring hot water over car’s glass is definitely out. Despite screens improving in quality in recent years, this process is unlikely to do them any favours and, at worst, could cause irreparable damage. A spray of de-icer is the most favourable option. Spray it towards the top of the windows in order to allow it to fall over the entire glass section, then clear away any ice left over with the scraper. It’s also worth checking to make sure the windscreen washer jets aren’t frozen, as well as the wipers.

Wednesday January 9 | 2019

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Recruitment

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Wednesday January 9 | 2019

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A B C D E F GH I J K L MNO P QR S T U VWX Y Z 11

25 18

22 22

9 19

19 4

12 5

25 6

22 8

24 23

22 6 6

25 13

26 8

22 25

4 9 5 2 8 6

1 3

4 7 2

Codeword:

6 3

6 4

9 1 6 7

9 1

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

8 17

19 10

19 22

26 13

1 22

22 22

25 5

22 22

24 22

7 25

3 8

DIFFICULTY RATING:★★✩✩

1 12

Numbers are substituted for letters in the crossword grid. Above the grid is the key with two letters solved. Try to complete the first few words to give you more letters, or look for a frequent number that might reveal a common letter. As you find letters, enter them in the key and into the grid. Cross off the letters in the A to Z list.

5 8 2 4 5 3 7 1 1 7 2 4 3 8 6 4 9 4 7 5

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTIONS

SUDOKU & JIGSAW SUDOKU

DIFFICULTY RATING: ★★★✩

CLASSIFIEDS

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Puzzles

In this Sudoku, the normal 3x3 boxes are now strangely odd shapes – but all the rules and logic of normal Sudoku apply. Fill the board by entering numbers 1 to 9 so that each row, column and box contains every number uniquely.

Puzzle solutions will be published in a forthcoming issue

B U T T O N A R N N E A R S J F T O F F A V I G A R C H E R N T A I WA N I S GO L I A T U E N A N S O N

S S E K I N I Z E R A D G U H N E S E X Q H U A A M E L

T AM P L O T I A L B Y G I N G O NMA N A R E P Q O S U A L I K I S S A

3 8 9 7 2 5 1 6 4

5 7 4 6 8 1 9 3 2

4 3 7 1 5 6 8 2 9

1 5 3 2 8 6 9 4 7

7 3 4 8 5 2 6 1 9

3 7 9 1 4 8 5 6 2

Sudoku:

7 2 8 5 1 4 6 9 3

6 9 5 3 7 8 2 4 1

1 4 3 9 6 2 7 8 5

2 1 6 4 3 9 5 7 8

8 6 1 2 9 3 4 5 7

9 5 2 8 4 7 3 1 6

Jigsaw Sudoku:

2 6 5 7 3 9 1 8 4

8 2 6 4 9 3 7 5 1

9 4 2 6 7 1 8 3 5

4 8 1 5 6 7 2 9 3

6 9 7 3 1 5 4 2 8

5 1 8 9 2 4 3 7 6

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Wednesday January 9 | 2019

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Sport

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Wednesday January 9 | 2019

Thompson and Humphris give Punjab six of the best Punjab United 3 Tunbridge Wells 6 FOOTBALL: TUNBRIDGE WELLS extended their unbeaten run to 10 games in a remarkable nine-goal thriller in the Southern Counties East League Premier Division in Gravesend. In a contest which was played at a blistering pace the visitors racked up four goals in the first half-hour to show their burgeoning confidence after a difficult start to the season. Jason Thompson struck twice in the 13th and 17th minutes, and although Punjab’s Anthony Adesite pulled one back in the 19th minute, Jamie Humphris responded with his own quickfire double after 22 and 30 minutes. The travelling fans were anticipating a goal feast but despite some excellent play both defences held firm until after the hour-mark.

Then the match-winning hero from the Crowborough derby, Tom Pearson, came on as a substitute and finally breached the Punjab defence again in the 62nd minute.

Dominant With 15 minutes remaining, Harrison Carnegie scored the final goal for the Wells, putting the seal on a dominant display that moved them above Crowborough. However, two goals in the last two minutes from Alun Suman – with a 30-yard effort – and Laurent Hamici gave the home side a boost. The Wells, now in 14th place, can look to keep climbing the ladder but first they face promotionchasing Chatham Town at home on Saturday [January 12, kick-off 3pm].

PHOTO: Victor Bethell

By Victor Bethell

OPEN SEASON Jason Thompson scores the first Wells goal

PHOTO: David Couldridge

Fightback stops the rot and gives Angels hope always looked dangerous on the break. The visitors could have opened their account in the first minute when a dangerous ball from the left was blocked by a Tonbridge defender. At the other end Joe Turner should have done better when through on goal but he shot tamely at the Regent keeper James Bradbrook. Aaron Condon created a couple of decent chances for Brightlingsea, one of which was superbly saved by Angels gloveman Jonny Henly. The Essex side were not to be denied for much longer and in the 25th minute they took the lead when Harvey Hood was put through by a pass from the left.

Flying Angels responded strongly and Tom Beere’s cross was almost converted by D’Sean Theobalds in the 35th minute but Bradbrook responded with a sound block. Immediately after the restart Regent doubled their lead when Billy Hunt was allowed to waltz through the home defence to strike past Henly. McKimm’s substitutions saw Tom Murphy make way for Alex Read while Adem Ramadan replaced Beere, and suddenly the Angels were flying. The home side fought back with goals from Tom Parkinson in the 76th minute and Read on 83 minutes, and the Angels then pressed hard to find the winner but to no avail. Asked about the two goals conceded, McKimm said: “I would rather concentrate on the two goals we scored and the way the team responded

GREAT LEVELLER Substitute Alex Read equalises for the Angels

Tonbridge Angels 2 Brightlingsea Regent 2 By Jim Rowe FOOTBALL: AFTER nine defeats in their last 10

games in league and cup, Tonbridge Angels’ fightback against Brightlingsea felt like a hopeful start to the new year in the Bostik League Premier.

Steve McKimm’s side were staring into the abyss at 2-0 down with 15 minutes to go. But the way in which the players picked themselves up off the floor was impressive. The first half saw the Angels having a little more of the ball than their opponents but Brightlingsea

REINFORCING THE FRONT LINE Angels manager Steve McKimm has signed striker Chinedu McKenzie (right) from Bostik League Premier leaders Haringey Borough in a bid to end a barren spell up front. McKenzie, 24, has played for Maidenhead United, Romford, Harlow Town and Bromley. Manager Steve McKimm said: “I’m really looking forward to seeing Chinedu in action for the Angels and hope he has a long and successful spell at Longmead.” at the end to try and win the game. “Hopefully we’ve got momentum now to give us a positive training session on Tuesday and can take that into Saturday’s game against Kingstonian [at Longmead].”

Ruthless Cray end Rustics’ hopes

LETTING FLY Arnel Maga volleys into the net

Rusthall Reserves 1 Cray Wanderers Blues 3

PHOTO: Dean Jacquin

FOOTBALL: RUSTHALL’S Reserves bowed out of the Kent Intermediate Cup at the quarter-final stage after a tough contest against Cray Wanderers’ Under-23 team. Cray started off brightly using their quick young attackers to good effect and it looked like they would dominate the game. However, Rusthall were soon enjoying an equal share of the match. Michael Tubbs fired over and Lynos Rwodzi saw an effort blocked .

Excellent After 20 minutes a clever ball through the Rusthall defence saw Robbie Daye swiftly get into position for a one-on-one with keeper Jake Cornish and he coolly slotted home. Cornish had been excellent in the Rusthall goal but six minutes later he had to go off injured.

Once again the forward Callum Strachan was called upon to take the gloves. The second half was again an even contest but Cray got a second goal on 56 minutes when a corner which was headed in by Ben Hullet from close range. Rusthall raised their game and began to dominate, and their pressure was rewarded on the hour-mark when Arnel Maga confidently volleyed into the net. That prompted a wave of home attacks in search of the equaliser, and Cray scored again on the counter-attack from a Rusthall corner. Deep into injury time, Akan Kasab cutting in from the right to finish calmly. Rusthall First XI are at home to Sheppey United in the Southern Counties East League Premier Division on Saturday [January 12, kick-off 3pm].

Wednesday January 9 | 2019

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Sport

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Tunbridge Wells 26 Shelford 10 By Roger Clarke RUGBY: TUNBRIDGE WELLS began their campaign afresh after the break with a bonus point win against the bottom side in the London and South-East Premier Division. They were pleased to do so, too, having failed to secure wins against some of the lower ranked teams in the first half of the season. The home side started slowly and were fortunate when Shelford missed a relatively simple penalty after two minutes. But the visitors did get on the scoresheet after five minutes. Wells lost possession and then misjudged the kick ahead to see Lewis Cracknell go in down the left for an unconverted try. Wells then had more of the ball and Nick Doherty made a telling burst on the right to feed Mike Hathaway, who took the perfect line to score on 16 minutes, Frank Reynolds converting. Wells continued to create chances, dominating the lineout and scrum. But tries would not come due to the spirit of Shelford and Wells’ inability to keep possession in the loose. Finally Wells found some cohesion and a minute before half-time they took advantage of a poor kick ahead to counterattack. The ball was moved smartly to centre Mike Doherty, who carved an outside break and then

cut into the posts for the try, Reynolds adding the extras. In time added on, Wells found time for another score as they countered from even deeper, turning the ball over in their own 22. Nick Doherty carried for 40 metres before passing to Christian Earle, and he released the supporting wing Richard Webster to go over in the right corner for an unconverted try which gave the hosts a half-time lead of 19-5. A Wells clearance kick down the right was executed poorly in the 52nd minute, allowing Shelford to get up a head of steam. The ball was fed to their outstanding young second row Fred Betteridge, who scored an unconverted try.

PHOTO: Bruce Elliott

Wells stamp authority on Shelford despite bookings

Sting That seemed to sting Wells into action and they pinned Shelford on their line. Mike Doherty was hauled down inches short of the line and Wells were awarded a penalty. They opted for a scrum and the pack drove over the line for No 8 Nick Doherty to touch down the bonus point try on 64 minutes. It felt like the job had been done but Wells’ old problem of indiscipline reared its head again with second row Josh Hawkins receiving a yellow card on 72 minutes. Then Wells went down to 13 men for the last

HANGING ON: Nick Doherty, who scored the bonus point try, puts Shelford’s defence under pressure

TJs lose discipline and crash to defeat against bottom club London Irish Wild Geese 44 Tonbridge Juddians 31 By Adam Hookway RUGBY: TONBRIDGE JUDDIANS crashed down to earth at the start of the new year with a poor second-half showing against the bottom club in National Two South which saw their eight-game unbeaten run come to an end. The visitors had started well and were ahead by a pair of tries after just seven minutes, courtesy of two close-range snipes from Charlie Edwards, both converted by Will Robinson. Both scores came from the TJ backs slicing through the defence of a side that had only won three times in the first half of the season. The Irish rallied, however, and although ex-TJ Liam Prescott missed a penalty they scored their first try after a catch and drive at the lineout. Prescott failed to convert it but then he added a penalty and Irish confidence was rising. One of the home props was sent to the sin bin

and TJs took advantage. From a clearing kick Robinson put the lively Tom Chapman through a hole and he went close. Robinson was on hand for the recycled ball and he crashed over to make it 19-8 at the break. The second half started poorly for the visitors. They failed to deal with the kick-off and from the ensuing scrum Irish sliced through the middle, recycled close to the line and powered over to put themselves right back in contention.

Outnumbered TJs soon hit back, finding space wide on the left. Chapman cut through on Robinson’s shoulder to score from 30 metres, the latter converting. But then the TJ wheels came off as Ryan Jackson saw yellow, and he was followed to the sin bin soon afterwards by Charlie Edwards. In a blink of an eye Irish scored two tries and were in front for the first time, leading 27-26. The TJ defence was now heavily outnumbered and Irish extended their lead.

PHOTO: Karl Lincoln

SIDE SHOW Toby May makes ground down the left with Tom Chapman

few minutes as Matt Spicer took an offside yellow for the team to keep the visitors at bay. Before the end replacement scrum-half Anthony Storkey made a rapid run down the right touchline but was hauled down by an

outstanding tackle from Shelford full-back Shingai Chiwanga. Wells, who are now eighth in the table, now travel to face third-placed Westcliff on Saturday [January 12, kick-off 2pm].

Jackson returned to the fray but from the restart Ryan Ward got too close to the Irish catcher in the air and received a red card. The dismissal put TJs even more on the back foot and Irish scored again. Irish were now very much in the box seat but TJs were back to 14 and they sent Chapman in down the left after slick hands in the backs. With a 10-point deficit and 12 minutes left, the

visitors reached the Irish line but they knocked on and were then penalised for dissent. A scrum penalty on 40 metres gave Prescott a chance to put the final nail in TJs’ coffin, which he did with some aplomb, and TJs had no way back. It was a hugely disappointing result for TJs in which their discipline let them down. Tonbridge’s next game is at home to Henley Hawks on Saturday [January 12, kick-off 2.30pm].