Wednesday, April 27, 2016
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Local, National and International Tonbridge Castle
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PRIDE OF LIONS PREPARE FOR 25th TRIATHLON Page 3
FLYING THE FLAG Teresa Seamer from Gorgeous George joins in the birthday fun
THE NEW JAGUAR F-PACE HITS THE ROAD Page 85
THE lack of high-speed broadband in rural locations around Tonbridge is frustrating home users and forcing businesses to consider relocating out of the area. Improvements and developments in and around the town have attracted new companies which in turn is helping the local economy to grow. But MP Tom Tugendhat says unless urgent investment is made to improve internet connections, which are vital to run businesses in the modern age, firms will start to look elsewhere. Mr Tugendhat said: “I’ve had a huge amount of correspondence over broadband, with companies talking about leaving the area because of the lack of internet speed. “Even in my own village the broadband speed is barely enough to open an email with. “There are companies such as Gigaclear operating
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Happy birthday your Majesty INSIDE AROUND 1,000 residents were in full voice when they joined in the Queen’s 90th birthday celebrations at Tonbridge Castle last Thursday. The original festivities, announced by the borough council, were scheduled to be a fairly low key affair with just one highlight – the lighting of a beacon. But with just three days to go, friends Suzannah Niklas and Pam Mills, who both live in the town, decided the Monarch’s birthday was worth more of a party atmosphere and set about galvanising the community. But even they were amazed by the response. During the day, stores in the town, including Gorgeous George gift store and Pavilion Flowers, as well as pubs, proudly flew bunting. As Mayor Owen Baldock lit the beacon, which was one of his
final official duties in his year in office, nine year-old Kiah Spurle sang Happy Birthday to the Queen. The young Tonbridge singer, who has appeared in West End musical The Dreamers, said she was ‘very proud’ to be singing for the occasion. There were also performances by Tonbridge Community Singers and some traditional Cockney sing-alongs from Tom Carradine, who led crowds in a rousing rendition of God Save the Queen. Borough councillor Vivian Branson produced 200 cupcakes for the event, and Beyond the Grounds Café provided more refreshments for the audience on the castle lawn.
high-speed broadband in places such as Hadlow, offering some of the fastest speeds of internet in the world, so this should be possible elsewhere in the area,” added the MP, who said he would continue to seek answers from Culture Minister Ed Vaizey on the matter.
‘The broadband speed is barely enough to open an email with’ A Government Broadband Universal Service Consultation to get feedback on the problem of poor broadband speeds in rural locations ended earlier this month. However, the Tonbridge & Malling MP claims the local internet infrastructure is in the hands of just two companies – BT and Virgin – which has created a near monopoly situation and this means villages are missing out on superfast services. An initiative by Kent County Council (KCC) promises
GARDEN PROJECT
Calm environment created for dementia suffers
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MARATHON WOMEN
Dame Kelly Holmes completes her chariety challenge
FINAL DUTY Mayor Owen Baldock
Give us faster broadband before it’s too late says MP By Neill Barston
FORMER BHS BOSS UNDER FIRE FROM MPs
95 per cent of businesses and homes in the county are to have high-speed broadband by 2018. A spokesman also confirmed that KCC is looking at providing satellite-based internet services to properties that have slower internet speeds in the future. But Jo James, CEO of Kent Invicta Chamber of Commerce, believes that the county was a long way off having the world-beating digital infrastructure that the UK is aspiring to achieve. She said: “The progress of the roll out of superfast broadband to rural and harder to reach areas is a great concern. Far too many businesses and consumers still have insufficient or unreliable broadband coverage, which stops entrepreneurs and exporters in their tracks. “I can understand the focus on urban areas to start with, as due to economies of scale and distance a lot can be achieved in a much quicker time, but this should not be at the expense of the harder to reach. For the rural economy to thrive it has to have the tools to enable businesses to trade, grow and create economic wealth.”
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ICONIC MUSICAL Curtain goes up on the Carousel spectacular
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