Times of Tunbridge Wells 19th February 2020

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Lucky escape as tree crushes a family’s car By Robert Forrester

PHOTO: Martin Bolt

Wednesday February 19 | 2020

A MAN and his two young children narrowly escaped being injured on Sunday, when a tree fell on top of their family car near to a Tunbridge Wells village. The incident happened on Sunday morning [February 16] along Pembury Walks, Pembury. It is understood the man was driving with his two children, aged six and nine, when high winds caused by Storm Dennis uprooted the tree and brought it on top of their Mitsubishi Outlander. Police say the driver and two children, who have not been named, walked away unscathed.

A21 closure starts to bite and adds up to an hour on journeys By Richard Williams MOTORISTS were this week getting to grips with the closure of the A21, which has resulted in lengthy queues, diversions and longer journey times. Commuters from Tunbridge Wells trying to go north, towards London, have been faced with an additional hour to their daily journey. Queues have been building during rush hour along Southborough, with some motorists complaining of delays of up to 60 minutes just to get into Tonbridge. The A21 has been closed for necessary repairs to the Medway viaduct, which runs over Haysden Country Park, as well as the Manor Farm subway running under the road.

The road closed on Friday [February 14] at 10pm and is scheduled to reopen at 6am on Monday [February 24]. Highways England say they hope conducting the works during half

‘Reassurances are needed that surrounding villages do not suffer’ MP Tom Tugendhadt term will lead to less disruption as there should be less traffic in the morning.

The Tunbridge Wells exit is closed, with southbound traffic being forced off the A21 at Sevenoaks, and northbound traffic from the Vauxhall Interchange at the top of Tonbridge. Commuter, Toby UffindellPhillips, who works as a web app developer in Tunbridge Wells, says his usual 20 minute journey to Sevenoaks has more than tripled. “On Monday, it took me an hour just to go from Southborough to Tonbridge, then I had the rest of the journey. The situation wasn’t helped with

both the roads to Leigh and Penshurst closed to flooding,” he said. He continued: “Going into work hasn’t been as bad, with my usual 20-minute journey from Sevenoaks taking 40 minutes, but for the rest of the week, I’m going to leave work early as I don’t want to waste an hour every night just getting through Tonbridge.” Last week, drivers got an insight as to what this week’s closure would be like when an accident and flooding on the carriageway near to Pembury, shut the A21 temporarily for a number of hours, which resulted in traffic chaos. Heavy rain had caused flooding on the carriageways of the A21 and two vehicles collided just before 6am last Thursday

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Wednesday February 19 | 2020

this week… Sainsbury’s considers its options

after Beales closure is announced Tonbridge & Malling Leisure Trust, part of the borough council which owns the complex. The trust runs the sport and leisure complex next

By Andy Tong andy@timesoftonbridge.co.uk

REWARDING WORK: We meet Jess Gibson, founder of the new TN loyalty card scheme p5 STAR TURN: Eamonn Holmes reveals why he’s so excited to host our business awards p6

AIMING HIGH: How charity AIM is helping to make the Kent Test a level playing field p17

THE future of the Beales site is being considered by the owner of the site Sainsbury’s after it was revealed that the department store will shut in April – with 46 members of staff facing redundancy. The news comes after it was revealed last week that the Jump In trampoline park is also facing closure in May, with the loss of 60 jobs. The Beales retail chain went into administration a month ago because of ‘the ever-changing landscape and challenges of the retail market’, putting more than 1,000 jobs at risk.

Redundancy Accountants KPMG, who are overseeing the process, announced on February 7 that Beales would close 12 of its 23 stores nationwide – including the one in Tonbridge. A spokesperson for KPMG told the Times: “We haven’t yet set a date for the closure of the Tonbridge store, but it is expected to trade for approximately eight weeks. “Staff at this store will be retained to assist with trading over the weeks ahead, and the joint administrators and their teams will continue to work closely with staff during this period. We cannot comment further at this stage around redundancy arrangements.” It is speculated that neighbouring Sainsbury’s will expand into the Beales site in a massive overhaul of the Angel Centre. The supermarket giant holds a 125-year lease on the premises. Plans were already being discussed for a redevelopment of the Angel Centre by

CONTACTS

DEPUTY EDITOR EILEEN LEAHY eileen@timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk | 01892 576037

KENT County Council has had its budget approved for 2020, which will see a £50 rise in Council Tax and more than £1billion in spending commitments. The budget, which was unveiled in January and is the first under new Conservative Leader Roger Gough, was unanimously voted through by county councillors last week [Thursday, February 13]. The spending plans, dubbed as

Maximum Despite County Hall receiving an additional £28.6million from Central Government this year, taxpayers will still see their Council Tax bills increase by four per cent from April 2020 – the maximum allowable

A21 closure delays

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CLARIFICATIONS AND CORRECTIONS HERE at the Times Local News we strive to deliver fair, accurate and balanced reports. When we don’t meet our own high standards we will accept the responsibility and publish clarifications and corrections. If you would like to make a comment on any aspect of the newspaper, please write to the editor at David Salomons Estate, Broomhill Road, Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN3 0TF, or email newsdesk@timesoftonbridge.co.uk Markerstudy Leisure is a trading name of One Media and Creative UK Limited registered in England and Wales under company number 5398960 with registered office at 45 Westerham Road, Sevenoaks, Kent TN13 2QB.

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Beales is one of three department store chains that have gone into administration – along with with House of Fraser and Debenhams – having reported a loss of £3.1m for the last financial year. KPMG are trying to find a buyer for the remaining 11 shops in a bid to ‘deliver a sustainable business model for the future’. It said: “The joint administrators of the Beales department store chain have confirmed that they remain in active discussions with interested parties regarding a going concern

‘moving on from austerity’ by KCC, will see an increase in day to day spending of £77million – the largest increase in a decade and up 7.8 per cent from last year.

CHIEF REPORTER RICHARD WILLIAMS richardwilliams@timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk | 01892 240626

SALES ENQUIRIES RSinger@markerstudy.com | 01892 739763

HIGH BUSINESS RATES PARTLY TO BLAME sale of a number of stores.” KPMG also said the company’s demise was down to the ‘impact of high rent and rates’ as wells as dissapointing Christmas trading. Beales’ Chief executive Tony Brown has criticised local councils for failing to help High Street retailers, saying they ‘really don’t care’. “Landlords, not all but predominantly most of them, have been helpful and they see a long term. But in a number of our stores, I pay three or four times more business rates than I do rent.”

County Hall’s £1billion budget gets approval By Richard Williams

EDITORIAL DIRECTOR RICHARD MOORE richard@timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk | 01892 779615

SHELF LIFE The Beales site could become part of a new-look Sainsbury’s

[February 13] near to the Pembury turn off. The accident forced the closure of both carriageways between Pembury and the Kipping’s Cross Roundabout. While nobody was injured, it took until midmorning before the stricken vehicles could be removed and the road re-opened.

Concerned The road closure caused long tailbacks from Pembury as traffic had to be diverted through Five Oak Green and was snarled up all the way through Tunbridge Wells. North Farm and High Brooms remained in gridlock all morning, and congestion was reported as far away as Wadhurst in East Sussex and along the Eridge Road. Many commuters took to social media to complain about the traffic issues, with some admitting to turning around their vehicles and

without a local referendum – adding around £52 to annual payments for a Band D property – or 89p a week. A budget gap of £1.9million, identified in January’s draft budget, has been closed following confirmation of the additional government money and growth in the amount of business rates retained by the Council. One opposition amendment was unanimously voted on by all councillors during last week’s budget vote.

abandoning their journeys to work. Some 35,000 vehicles use the A21 each day, and this week this traffic has been diverted through Hildenborough, Bordyke, Cannon Lane and the Vauxhall roundabout. During the scheduled closure, motorists are

PHOTO: Kerrie Jenner/Tonbridge Daily

EARN WHILE YOU LEARN: Greg Clark MP helps celebrate National Apprentice Week p4

to Beales and is said to have reported a 10 per cent fall in income over a three-month period last year.

WATER WORLD Penshurst was flooded

Cllr Dara Farrell [Labour, Ashford South] asked the Council for more street-based youth work in Kent districts, which was accepted by all 70 councillors. The programme and delivery is expected to cost around £500,000. Cllr Roger Gough said: “As Leader of KCC, I want to focus on the spending priorities and services we provide that matter most to our residents and make the most visible difference, whilst still achieving value for money for Kent taxpayers.”

meant to follow diversion signs around Tonbridge, which takes them through the industrial estate, but some drivers have been entering Tonbridge High Street via Pembury Road, causing even more congestion. This closure of the A21 has concerned Tonbridge MP, Tom Tugendhat, who has written to the chief executive of Highways England, about the routes being taken by motorists. In his letter, Mr Tugendhat wrote: “We would welcome your reassurance in public about the additional resources which you will be taking to ensure that Tonbridge, Hildenborough and surrounding villages do not suffer as a result of the closure. “The A21 is a strategic route and where the road is shut, strategic traffic needs to be encouraged to use alternatives such as the M20 and M23 where possible. It is totally inappropriate for strategic traffic to use the B245 [through Hildenborough], A227 [Shipbourne Road] and A26 [Cannon Lane] in urban areas as a substitute. “The evening and weekend events and entertainment in Tonbridge are significant and we are concerned at the loss of revenue for businesses across the town at such short notice.”

NEWS IN BRIEF

Man who died in car park fall is named A 48-YEAR-OLD man from Crawley who died after falling from the Crescent Road car park last month has been named. Martin Lewis was pronounced dead after falling from the four-storey car park at around 3pm on January 29. An inquest was yesterday [Tuesday] opened by Kent coroner Roger Hatch before being adjourned for further reports. Police have already said they are not treating the death as suspicious. Meanwhile, police say they are keen to speak to a witness who may have spoken to another man who also fell from the roof of town centre car park. The man in his 50s is in critical condition after falling from the Royal Victoria Place car park, on Monday, February 3. Detective Sergeant Jo Hazelwood from Kent Police said: “We believe a person had contact with this man in the minutes prior to him falling from the car park. “The top floor is often used by staff, but it is also possible that whoever spoke to him was someone who had parked there to go shopping.” She added poice were just trying to uncover the background to the incident, which was not being treated as suspicious.

Break-in at school TWO teenagers have been arrested after a Tonbridge school was broken into and vandalised. Police say the boy and girl, both from the Tonbridge area, were disturbed by one of Kent Police’s Crime Scene Investigators. Officers had been called to Cage Green Primary School, Cage Green Road at around 5pm on Sunday February 16, following reports of a break-in. Officers found damage had been caused to computers, fire extinguishers and doors, and graffiti had been written over a number of walls. The two teenagers were released pending further enquiries.

Winter Lantern Parade TUNBRIDGE WELLS’ Winter Lantern Parade is set to go ahead this weekend, a fortnight after it was postponed due to bad weather. The parade will begin at 5.30 on Calverley Road on Saturday [February 22] before winding its way down Camden Road. High winds caused by Storm Ciara had forced organisers to delay the event earlier this month.

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Traditional family butchers closes after half a century in the business By Richard Williams A TOWN centre family butchers shop has closed after providing the people of Tunbridge Wells with their Sunday roasts for nearly 50 years. Peter Speaight Butchers in Chapel Place has been forced to shut reportedly due to the owner’s ill health. Mr Speaight, whose family has had a butcher’s shop in the town since 1972, has been closed for a number of weeks, and it is understood he will not be reopening. He is said to be looking to find a buyer to keep the shop going. The family butchers provided not only traditional roasting joints but also specialised in rarer meats including wild game and local veal. It also had a delicatessen service, which was popular with both local workers and tourists. If no buyer can be found, Speaight’s will be the second butchers shop in Tunbridge Wells town centre to have closed permanently in recent weeks. JC Rook & Sons on Mount Pleasant ceased trading just before Christmas , with owners claiming staffing issues had forced a temporary closure – but the store failed to re-open. And last year, White’s of Tonbridge, which has been serving customers on Martin Hardie Way for nearly two decades, also shut its doors due to the owner’s ill health.

PHOTO: Lee Smith

Wednesday February 19 | 2020

Roger Kelsey, Chief Executive of the National Craft Butchers, the association that represents 1,000 of the UK’s 6,000 independent butchers shops, and which is based in Tunbridge Wells, says the news another shop had closed was ‘very sad’ but insisted ‘butchery was alive and well’ in the UK. “It is always very sad when we hear of a shop closing, and in Tunbridge Wells this is the second one in recent months, with Rooks going

before Christmas. Normally it is retirement that sees butchers close.” But he added it was not ‘all doom and gloom’ in the butchery sector. “All high streets are struggling and butchers are no different, but we are now seeing a shift from traditional shops to more butchers opening in food halls and farm shops, partly because they don’t have the same problems with high rents and rates that we do on the high street.”

Outdoor gym equipment is hit by vandals ahead of official opening

struck defacing the apparatus and the newly marked out surface with graffiti. Councillor Jane March, the Council’s head of Culture, Leisure and Economic Development said: “It’s so disappointing that people feel the need to damage something that’s meant as a benefit for the whole community, including them. I do urge anyone who has any information to contact the police.”

By Robert Forrester VANDALS have defaced £25,000 worth of outdoor gym equipment, supplied by the Council for a Tunbridge Wells park, that was due to be officially unveiled this week. Heavy-duty exercise equipment was installed in Calverley Grounds on January 18 by outdoor gym company, TGO. It was provided by Tunbridge Wells Borough Council at a cost of £25,000, as part of the authority’s Strategic Management Plan for Calverley Grounds, which was published last year. The gym had been paid for using Section 106 money – cash received from developers Dandara for spending on community projects – as part of the deal to build the new residential project at the bottom of town, 1887 The Pantiles. The outdoor gym is aimed at providing the community with a free-to-use way of getting in shape and included a heavy-duty cross trainer,

an exercise bike, a pull down machine and a hand wheel. The Council were preparing an official launch for the gym on Saturday [February 22], but vandals

Anti-social

VALDALISED The exercise equipment was covered with graffiti

While the graffiti has been cleaned off the equipment itself, the Council say they are having to seek specialist advice about cleaning the graffiti on the floor surface. The news comes after the police issued a dispersal order in the town centre last month, following complaints of anti-social and unruly behaviour among youths. This behaviour has included disorder, criminal damage, abusive language and dangerous cycling in retail areas, parks and other public spaces. Over the weekend of January 18-19 police enforced the order eight times, dispersing troublesome groups of youths in an attempt to ‘nip in the bud’ anti-social behaviour.

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Wednesday February 19 | 2020

The changing face of the apprentices who are now earning while learning By Richard Williams FROM health workers to engineers, hoteliers to data scientists, apprentices have been celebrated across Tunbridge Wells. Previously seen as a lesser alternative to higher education, apprentices and their employers in the town spoke of the ‘diversity and value the scheme brings to employers, apprentices and communities’. MP Greg Clark visited seven local firms during National Apprenticeship Week, earlier this month, where he met apprentices that ranged from school leavers and graduates, to medical trainees in their 60s.

Driven Among them was Kim Bishop, one of 48 trainee Clinical Support Workers (CSW) undertaking a Level 2 Healthcare Support Worker apprenticeship at Tunbridge Wells Hospital. The 62-year-old said: “I’m proof that you don’t have to be a school leaver to start an apprenticeship. You bring all your life skills to it and I would encourage anyone to take the leap into a healthcare apprenticeship. I know that I am making a huge difference as a CSW and I plan to be the very best that I can be.”

Mr Clark also met with Saskia Coakley-Black and Rhian Williams at AXA PP Healthcare in Tunbridge Wells. Rhian, an apprentice data scientist at the company, said: “I was new to AXA when I started my apprenticeship over a year ago and the opportunities it has given me throughout this time have driven me to learn in a practical way and helped me build strong foundations for the future.” Mr Clark, the newly elected chair of the House of Commons Science and Technology Select Committee was also introduced to

ARRIVA: Greg with apprentices James Lockyer [L] and James Langran [R], as well as Arriva MD Oliver Monahan NHS: (Right to Left of MP) Gayle Epps MTW’s Learning Lead with Kim Bishop [also inset] Trainee Apprentice Clinical Support Worker, Jessica Baldock, Apprentice Clinical Support Worker, and Wendy Martin, Women and Children’s Business Administration Apprentice

AXA: Graduate Campaign Executive Saskia Coakley-Black [pictured L] and Data Scientist Rhian Williams [R]

GINGERMAY: MP Greg Clark with apprentice Oliver Jeffries and PR Boss Victoria Usher

‘There is a huge range of opportunities available in our area’ engineering apprentices at bus company Arriva. James Lockyer, told the MP: “I started my apprenticeship with Arriva in September 2018 and it has really brought me out of my shell. Aside from the skills needed directly for my job, the apprenticeship has also taught me important life skills too.”

ONE WARWICK PARK: Greg and apprentice marketing co-ordinator Lily Spencer

Mr Clark then went on to meet trainees at construction company Baxhalls, a young apprentice at Muffett Gears, GingerMay PR Agency, and an apprentice marketing co-ordinator at One Warwick Park hotel. The Tunbridge Wells MP said: “There remains a misperception that apprenticeships are for school leavers, whereas the reality is that it is a paid route to further professional qualifications at every level. “There is a huge range of opportunities available in our area. I met apprentices aged from 16 to 62.”

Wednesday February 19 | 2020

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Loyalty card launches and raises hundreds for charity By Richard Williams

REWARDED Jess Gibson with her card

MORE than 100 retailers have already signed up to the new card that provides shoppers with discounts at stores, restaurants and local attractions in Tunbridge Wells and Tonbridge. The brainchild of Jess Gibson from Tonbridge, ‘thetncard’ is aimed at encouraging people who live in the two towns to support local traders. Offering discounts from local businesses in exchange for a £20 annual membership fee, the loyalty card has already seen more than 120 local shops, restaurants, hotels and other businesses sign up. Ten percent of all membership fees also go to local charity, West Kent Mind. The card was officially launched at the Hotel du Vin in Tunbridge Wells and at The Old Fire Station in Tonbridge.

Partnering Ms Gibson, said: “Both launches were a great success with representation from nearly 80 of our participating businesses. “There was a wonderful sense of community and a great deal of positivity around the scheme.” She said she has now joined forces with Tonbridge Town Team’s own loyalty scheme, where thetncard members receive two stamps on their Tonbridge Loyalty Card. “We now have those 120 independent and community focused businesses in our directory, from retailers to local bars and restaurants, from hairdressers and beauty salons to health and fitness businesses,” continued Ms Gibson. “We are also partnering with our brilliant local

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Nearly 200 jobs at risk as meat plant announces site is closing A COMPANY that has been operating in Kent for more than 150 years, is planning to close its operation in Tunbridge Wells. WA Turner has been making sausages, pies and other meat products at its current Broadwater Lane site for the last 50 years, but last week, the parent company of the plant announced it was consulting with staff about closing the business. WA Turner, which employs 189 people, is part of the ABP UK Group.

Consultation

theatres, the Assembly Hall, Trinity and EM Forster, as well as local attractions and key community events, such as Tonbridge Music Weekend and Crazy Jeans Soapbox Race.” She added that through membership fees and a raffle held during the launch parties, thetncard has already raised more than £600 for West Kent Mind. “We are looking forward to raising much more in the year ahead,” said Ms

Gibson. “As well as selling cards individually for £20 with £2 going to West Kent Mind, we are now offering local businesses the opportunity to place larger orders for their employees at a discounted rate, through which West Kent Mind receive £4 a card.” Retailers that have joined the scheme, which is up and running, include Hotel du Vin, Carluccios, Cook and dozens more. Anybody wishing to sign up should visit: thetncard.com

ABP want to close Turners before the start of the new financial year in April, following a review of the business. A spokesman for ABP UK said: “We can confirm that ABP UK has today announced the start of a collective consultation at the WA Turner site in Tunbridge Wells. “This consultation period will be led by employee representatives and members of the management team. “At this time, our focus is on the consultation period and supporting our employees.”

CLOSING: WA Turner

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BUSINESS

Business Awards

How to enter the Business Awards Entries are now open for the 2020 Times Business Awards. There are ten categories to choose from that offer local firms the unique opportunity to showcase themselves and their company alongside some of the most outstanding businesses and business people in West Kent. Winning a prestigious business award not only adds credibility to a company but also has hugely rewarding benefits to a business’s team, helping to underpin their credentials when talking to clients, leading to new opportunities. Winners and shortlisted entrants receive relevant coverage in our publications, including Times Local Newspapers and SO Magazine, as well as on the Times Local News websites and social media platforms. The black tie gala dinner is a fun night where the awards are won and provides an excellent networking opportunity, with more than 220 guests from the business community attending. And, best of all, the awards are FREE to enter. For more information visit: timesbusinessawards.co.uk or email: info@timesbusinessawards.co.uk

2020

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King of breakfast TV looks forward to meeting you all ONE of the most familiar and popular faces on daytime television is coming to Tunbridge Wells to present the 2020 Times Business Awards. Eamonn Holmes, who with wife Ruth Langsford are regular hosts on ITV’s This Morning, says he is looking forward to coming to the town again for this year’s gala evening at Salomons Estate on Friday June 5. The television personality is no stranger to award ceremonies, having hosted the first National Television Awards [NTAs] in 1995. He also picked up an award with his This Morning co-hosts at this year’s NTAs for Best Daytime and Best Live Magazine Show for the ninth year running. “Twenty-five years since I hosted the first ever National Television awards… now it’s nice to be nominated a quarter of a century later,” he said of his latest accolade. Eamonn, who was awarded an OBE in the 2018 Queen’s New Year’s Honours List for his services to broadcasting in a career spanning nearly 40 years, will be following in the Tunbridge Wells footsteps of fellow broadcaster Ken Bruce, who presented the Times awards in 2017, as well as Michael Portillo, Edwina Curry and Strictly star Anton du Beke – who presented last year’s awards. The Belfast-born journalist told

HOST WITH THE MOST Eamonn Holmes has been on TV for nearly 40 years

the Times this week that he had been to Tunbridge Wells on a number of occasions, and was looking forward to returning. “I’m really looking forward to visiting Tunbridge Wells again in June,” he said. “It has been a while since I last visited, so it’ll be nice to see what has changed. “And, of course, it is also always a pleasure to celebrate other people’s awards success.”

Youngest The 60-year-old TV star began his career at 19 at Ulster Television in Belfast, and became the youngest anchor to host a TV news programme when he presented Good Evening Ulster at the age of 21. He moved to the BBC in 1986, but it was his move to ITV in the early 1990s that cemented his place as a titan of breakfast TV, after he presented GMTV from 1993 until 2005, which has earned him the moniker ‘king of breakfast TV’. To enter the business awards, or to book tickets for the black tie gala dinner at Salomons Estate on June 5, where you can meet Eamonn Holmes in person, call Eileen Sweeney on 01892 779583. Tickets are £900 for a table of ten or £99 each.

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New President for local Law Society THE Tunbridge Wells, Tonbridge and District Law Society [TWTDLS] has elected a new President. Doug MacDuff, of Tonbridge solicitors Clarke Kiernan, was elected to take over from Matthew Sabine, a Partner at Warners Solicitors, at the society’s recent AGM. John Spence, a Partner at CooperBurnett was elected the new Deputy Vice President at the annual gathering, which was held this year at Thomson Snell & Passmore’s new office complex in Heathervale House, Vale Avenue. Mr Spence said: “The organisation does much to work with lawyers in West Kent, and it’s a really useful way to develop and support those in our profession.”

HANDOVER Outgoing President Matthew Sabine [right] with Doug MacDuff

Two towns have the knowledge By Richard Williams TUNBRIDGE WELLS and Tonbridge have the largest number of enterprises in the knowledge economy in the county, according to recent figures. The ‘knowledge economy’ represents a range of sectors, including business services such as law, accountancy and insurance, as well as computing, telecoms and the media. There are 2,700 enterprises in Tunbridge Wells that fall within this remit, with 42.1 per cent of all enterprises in the area being part of the knowledge econ-

omy – the highest proportion in Kent. Second in the county is Tonbridge & Malling, where 38.9 per cent of all enterprises [2,310] are within the sector.

Data With its large insurance companies, such as AXA PPP Healthcare and Markerstudy, along with some of the South East’s largest legal firms, such as Cripps Pemberton Greenish and Thomson Snell & Passmore, around 12,000 people in Tunbridge Wells are employed in the knowledge economy – which amounts

to 23.5 per cent of all workers. It is a similar picture in Tonbridge & Malling, where 11,500 people, or 19.7 per cent of employees, work in the sector. The figures released by Kent County Council this month, and based on the latest data from the Office for National Statistics [ONS], show that only Sevenoaks comes close to the other West Kent towns, with 38.6 per cent of its enterprises part of the knowledge economy [2,610 enterprises]. The lowest in the county is Dover, where only 895 enterprises operate in the space, or just 25.7 per cent.

NEWS IN BRIEF

Women networkers award recognition THREE members of the local BNI [Business Networking International] have been shortlisted for the finals of the Kent Women in Business [KWIB] Awards. Siobhan Stirling, from PR agency Sharp minds Communications, and Amanda Redman, of Amanda Redman Financial Planning, have both been named as finalists in the Business Woman of the Year and The Leadership and Management Awards. It is the third consecutive year Ms Stirling has been shortlisted for two KWIB awards.

Innovative And Emily Brown, of Emily Brown Photography, has been shortlisted for Young Businesswoman of the Year and the Women in Arts/Creative awards. The Chair of BNI Tunbridge Wells Royal Spa and Director of Maddisons Residential estate agency, Deborah Richards – who will herself be judging The Times Business Awards later this year – said: “As a BNI chapter, we’re delighted but not surprised to hear these three brilliant local businesswomen have made it through to the KWIB Awards 2020 final. “Through our weekly meetings, we’ve seen first-hand the innovative service they offer their clients and witnessed the way they go above and beyond to deliver consistently great results, time after time. “Hopefully, their professionalism will be officially recognised by KWIB come March 6, but whatever happens, Siobhan, Amanda and Emily are already winners to us.” The results will be announced at a ceremony to take place on Friday March 6 at the Mercure Maidstone Great Danes Hotel.

Divorce specialist at Stowe Family Law Victoria Aked

SOLICITOR Victoria Aked has joined the Tunbridge Wells team at Stowe Family Law, one of the UK’s largest specialist family law firms. Ms Aked, who advises on all aspects of family disputes, including divorce and separation and the accompanying financial settlements, comes to the law firm from Martin Tolhurst Solicitors in Gravesend. She said: “I am delighted to be joining the team at Stowe Family Law in Tunbridge Wells. “Having worked exclusively in family law since I qualified, I approach my cases with empathy and compassion to support people through what can be a difficult time.” Kate Rayner, Managing Partner at Stowe Family Law, added: “I am thrilled to welcome Victoria to the Tunbridge Wells team. She comes with a wide range of experience in family law issues. “Her previous experience in cohabitation and domestic violence cases will complement our existing team. We now have a four-strong team of divorce lawyers and are one of the largest family law teams in the area.”

Confidence is high in property sector CONFIDENCE in the South East property and construction sector is high, according to research conducted by a Tunbridge Wells law firm. Thomson Snell & Passmore surveyed businesses from across the region that operate in the sector, including developers, construction companies, surveyors, banks and architects. Nearly half of the 38 organisations that responded to the survey (42 per cent) said they felt more confident planning ahead compared with a year ago, with a further 47 per cent saying they felt as confident as a year ago. The vast majority of respondents (82 per cent) said they felt either extremely or somewhat confident in the outlook for the property and construction sectors for 2020. Three quarters of those surveyed (76 per cent) also predicted either increased or sustained growth for the residentional property development market for 2020.

Positive Commenting on the results, Chris Whittington, Head of Construction at Thomson Snell & Passmore, said: “It is really positive to see that confidence in the South East property and construction sectors is so high. “After periods of uncertainty over the past few years, it is encouraging that businesses are now keen to move forward and embrace the opportunities present in the region. “We have certainly seen this trend reflected in the types of work we are delivering for property and construction clients across the sector in the South East and beyond, and are looking forward to helping the sector continue to realise its potential and grow.”

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New Puppets and Pastries workshop proves a hands-on way to create art By Andy Tong THE team behind the Tunbridge Wells Puppetry Festival are holding creative sessions for senior citizens to design their own puppets. The Puppets and Pastries events for over-65s are run by the Strangeface Theatre Company, and the first one was held at Age UK in Wood Street, Tunbridge Wells on January 25. Russell Dean and Doug Rutter from Strangeface started the session by performing their hit show Beached, a ten-minute table-top puppetry tale about Arthur, who goes for a walk and finds that it quickly turns into a deep-sea adventure. In keeping with the aquatic theme, guests tried their hand at making prawn puppets while enjoying cakes and scones. Jo Marks, of Age UK Tunbridge Wells, commented: “It was a roaring success. Everyone agreed there was no finer way to spend a cold, wet Saturday afternoon, and the whole group had a real laugh while they worked. “The feeling of pride when everyone produced a puppet identical to the one that was made earlier was immense. “The workshop did everything it said on the tin – it got people together in a sociable group while learning something new.” Linda Lewis, Creative Director of the Tunbridge Wells Puppetry Festival, added: “We were delighted with the first Puppets and Pastries get-together. “This was really sophisticated puppetmaking, where everyone got stuck in, had

SHORE THINGS Doug Rutter (centre) helps create prawn puppets. Inset: Arthur, the star of Beached

fun and created some excellent puppets, and everyone took home their own creation. “It was a lovely way to spend the afternoon, helped along by delicious home-made cakes and a cuppa.” Funders and supporters

of the project include the Pargiter Trust, Kent Community Foundation and Age UK Tunbridge Wells. There will be four Puppets and Pastries sessions in March and April, with the last one featuring a performance of the guests’ puppets. They will run from 2-5pm on Saturdays on March 7 and 28, and April 4 and 18. To reserve a space, call 07785 904118, or email: daisy@twpuppetryfestival.org

Wednesday February 19 | 2020

Charity dinner to support area’s vulnerable children A NURSERY for disadvantaged families is holding a Charity Dinner next month to raise funds to support vulnerable children in the local community. St George’s Childcare will be holding the event on Saturday March 28 at the Mercure Hotel, Pembury, and are seeking the support of the public. The childcare provider in Chilston Road, which has been running since 1951, is the only nursery in Tunbridge Wells that is also a charity – it was registered in 1981. It offers an Assisted Childcare Places Scheme to provide heavily discounted or free places to children from struggling families who are dealing with poverty, domestic abuse, drug and alcohol addiction, mental health and bereavement. They offer full-time care for children from three months to school age, as well as a term-time preschool and after-school club and holiday sessions for primary children. Assisted places cost around £25,000 a year for between 20 and 30 children. The nursery was rated as ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted in December – and three years previously. St George’s work closely with local authorities, social services and women’s refuges, who make them aware of children who are at risk. Tickets for the dinner cost £50, including a threecourse meal and wine, with an accommodation package available from the hotel. To book, email: becky.king@stgeorgeschildcare.co.uk

HELP IS AT HAND: At St George’s Childcare nursery

Wednesday February 19 | 2020

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Hospitals call for stories to help celebrate nurses and midwives By Andy Tong

SLICE OF LIFE The CofC team in Crowborough

Continuity of Care gives mums more satisfaction PREGNANT women who are registered with a Crowborough GP are set to benefit from a new and improved care model which aims to make maternity services in England more personal for families using them. Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust has launched the Continuity of Care [CofC] project at the Crowborough Birthing Centre. CofC forms part of the national Maternity Transformation Programme, which was introduced after the 2016 Better Births report called for maternity services to be personalised. Mothers-to-be will be cared for by the same team of six to eight midwives, who will be responsible for co-ordinating their care, and will see a familiar face at the time of the birth. Research has shown that this continuity means mums are less likely to have a premature birth, be induced and have an epidural. They are also likely to use less pain relief, there is a reduced chance of caesarean birth, and labour is shorter.

Sarah Blanchard-Stow, the Trust’s Divisional Director for Midwifery, Nursing and Quality, said: “Traditional models of midwifery can mean the person expecting a baby can meet a different midwife at every appointment.

Confidence “Having the same team of midwives caring for them throughout pregnancy, labour, birth and post-birth means they can build a trusting relationship, which in turn gives them the confidence to not only share any anxieties and insecurities they may have but also their positive experiences.” Chief of Service Sarah Flint added: “This supported journey helps to improve maternal and perinatal outcomes, and increases maternal satisfaction.” The service will be rolled out across maternity services at Tunbridge Wells Hospital and Maidstone Birth Centre during the year.

TO MARK the 200th anniversary of the birth of pioneering nurse Florence Nightingale, 2020 has been designated International Year of the Nurse and Midwife by the World Health Organisation [WHO]. The NHS has launched a year-long campaign to shine a spotlight on the vital role they play in hospitals 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust [MTW] is inviting the public to share their stories about how its nurses and midwives have had a positive impact or made an extraordinary contribution to their life. Chief Nurse Claire O’Brien said: “This is a fantastic opportunity to showcase the amazing work carried out by our nurses and midwives. “So I’m really hoping the public will get behind the campaign and share their stories with the Trust so we can celebrate and highlight the work they carry out 365 days a year. She added: “Over 1,730 nurses and

midwives are currently employed by MTW, and they are, without a doubt, at the very heart of all the services we provide. “Our nurses and midwives have touched the lives of so many people over the years, including patients and family members – from helping to bring babies into this world or supporting someone recovering from surgery, through to caring for patients who are sadly coming to the end of their life. “Like many others here at the Trust, I am extremely proud of our teams and the skills they bring to our wards and departments, and this campaign will help give them the recognition they so rightly deserve.” You can take part in the NHS’s campaign via social media using the hashtags #YearOfTheNurseAndMidwife #mtw2020 #nurses #midwives – or you can email your story to: mtw-tr. communications@nhs. net with ‘Year of the Nurse and Midwife 2020’ in the subject line, along with any accompanying photos you would like to send to illustrate your story. AT THE VERY HEART MTW Chief Nurse Claire O’Brien and historic nurse Florence Nightingale

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Local News

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Flood waters impact 100 homes and closes pub for six months By Richard Williams AROUND 100 homes were swamped with water and a pub has been forced to close for six months after heavy rainfall sent a torrent of water into a Tunbridge Wells village. Pembury Waterworks and Reservoir, which has supplied water to the Tunbridge Wells area since 1886, has been at maximum capacity since last November.

AWASH Flooded properties in Five Oak Green [below] and [inset] the Dovecote Inn

Violent Following heavy rain when Storm Ciara battered much of the South East last week, a deluge of water from the reservoir was sent towards Five

Oak Green in Capel. The area has been earmarked for around 4,000 new homes in Tunbridge Wells Borough Council’s local plan. Around 100 properties in the area were affected by the flood waters, including the Dovecote Inn pub in Alders Road, Capel, which will now be closed for the next six months. “The pub has never flooded before, certainly not in the last 25 years according to the locals,” said Xanthe Parrott, landlady of the Dovecote. “We have had to rip up all the floorboards, and everything will have to be thrown out because

it’s covered in muddy, filthy water.” She added that the cost of the flooding is as yet unknown. “I’ve just thrown out £3,000 worth of food, and we are looking at being closed for six months, so we’ve no idea how much this will cost. We are waiting for the insurance assessors to make a decision,” added Ms Parrott. Parish councillor in the area, Hugh Patterson, who is also a member of the campaign group Save Capel, told the Times: “It started around 6pm on the Sunday evening [February 9]. The flood was particularly violent and struck Tudeley, Five Oak Green and the hamlet of Capel – which was badly hit. “A lot of people got a lot of water in their

Wednesday February 19 | 2020

WHAT CAUSED THE FLOODING… Cllr Hugh Patterson believed the flood was caused by a ‘sluice valve’ being opened by South East Water to relieve the pressure on the Pembury reservoir during the storm, The water authority deny any such valve exists. A spokesperson said: “Our Pembury Reservoir has been full since November 2019 which is normal for this time of year and especially so during a wet winter. “When the reservoir is at full capacity, the water continues its journey back into the Alders Stream through a letterbox style overflow opening. “This works in a similar way to the overflow in a sink or bathtub and has no valves associated with it – the water simply flows through when the reservoir is full. It has been doing this since for more than 100 years.” He added that the area was hit by 28mm during the weekend of the flood. The Environment Agency said they were investigating the cause of the flooding. A spokesperson said: “We did an initial investigation the following day and found that the flood water originated from a ditch to the North West of the properties, not the Alder streams. “We intend to investigate the causes of the flooding when the current weather situation and heavy rainfall have passed. “Flooding has a devastating impact on people’s lives. Our thoughts are with those who have been flooded and those waiting to return to their homes.”

homes very quickly. The fire brigade came to help pump out the water, but they struggled to find somewhere to expel the water because the Alders Stream goes into the reservoir, and that is at full capacity.”

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National News

NEWS IN BRIEF

March Budget to go ahead as planned NEW Chancellor Rishi Sunak has confirmed that the Budget will take place as planned next month despite speculation it could be pushed back following his predecessor’s sudden departure. Downing Street was last week unable to confirm that the Budget would take place as scheduled on March 11 after the dramatic resignation of Sajid Javid in last Thursday’s reshuffle. But Mr Sunak tweeted yesterday [Tuesday]: “Cracking on with preparations for my first Budget on March 11. It will deliver on the promises we made to the British people levelling up and unleashing the country’s potential.”

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Boris Johnson reaches financial Salmond appears in court settlement with estranged wife FORMER first minister of Scotland Alex Salmond made a court appearance yesterday [Tuesday] ahead of his trial next month over attempted rape and sexual assault charges. The hearing at the High Court in Glasgow follows previous court appearances in Edinburgh in November and January, when he denied all charges against him.

HAPPIER TIMES: Boris Johnson with Marina Wheeler before their separation

Assaults

Flack inquest opens THE inquest into the death of TV presenter Caroline Flack is due to open today [Wednesday]. The hearing is expected to be opened and adjourned at Poplar Coroner’s Court. The former Love Island host was found dead at her home in east London on Saturday, having taken her own life. The 40-year-old presenter was facing domestic violence charges, which she had denied.

More flood warnings AREAS of the UK are in ‘uncharted territory’ after record levels of flooding, with more heavy rain forecast for later in the week. Ten severe flood warnings, indicating a danger to life, were in place yesterday [Tuesday] morning across England and Wales in the aftermath of Storm Dennis.

Wednesday February 19 | 2020

PRIME Minister Boris Johnson and his wife Marina Wheeler have reached a financial agreement following their separation two years ago, a family court judge has been told. Judge Sarah Gibbons oversaw a private hearing in the Central Family Court in London yesterday [Tuesday]. Neither Mr Johnson nor Ms Wheeler were at the hearing, which lasted just ten minutes, but both were represented by barristers.

Dispute Ms Wheeler and Mr Johnson married in 1993 and have four children. They separated in 2018. Mr Johnson, 55, has been dating Carrie Symonds, 31, since last year and the couple now live together in Downing Street. The case number showed that Mr Johnson and Ms Wheeler had been involved in a dispute relating to money or assets.

The move paves the way for the couple to finalise their divorce, and Judge Gibbons approved a written consent order and also gave Ms Wheeler the go-ahead to apply for a Decree Absolute which would bring the marriage to an end. If Ms Wheeler does apply for a Decree Absolute while Mr Johnson is in office, he will be the first serving prime minister to divorce since the Duke of Grafton in 1769. Members of the public were barred from attending yesterday’s hearing, but reporters were allowed to attend and the judge imposed limits on what could be reported and said no child should be identified nor detail any financial information revealed. The couple announced that they had separated and were going through the process of divorce in September 2018 - saying that ‘as friends we will continue to support our four children in the years ahead’.

Salmond, 65, is accused of two indecent assaults and 10 sexual assaults, an attempted rape and a sexual assault with intent to rape, all of which he denies. Among the allegations, he is accused of attempting to rape a woman at Bute House, the official residence of the first minister of Scotland, in June 2014 during the independence referendum campaign. The former first minister is also accused of sexually assaulting a woman with intent to rape in December 2013. Overall, the charges span from June 29 2008 to November 11 2014 – two months after he stepped down as first minister and SNP leader.

ACCUSED Former First Minister Alex Salmond at court yesterday

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St Pauls Street Tunbridge Wells TN4 8RJ Wednesdays 9.30am & 11.30am Call Sandra 07942888722

Church Road Crowborough TN6 1ED Thursdays 9.30am, 11.30am, 5.30pm & 7.30pm Call Mary 07738014528

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National News

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Wednesday February 19 | 2020

ALL AT SEA Sally and David Abel are being treated in hospital

British cruise ship couple tested positive for deadly coronavirus A BRITISH couple on board a coronavirus-hit cruise ship have tested positive for the deadly coronavirus. David and Sally Abel have posted regular updates on Facebook and YouTube pleading with the UK Government to be flown home from the Diamond Princess, which is quarantined near Yokohama, Japan. The couple’s son, Steve Abel, told BBC Breakfast that his father had emailed him on Tuesday morning to tell him they had both tested positive for Covid-19 – the official name given to the strain of the cold-like virus.

The couple have been sent to hospital in mainland Japan. The Foreign Office said on Monday that four Britons from the ship had been confirmed with coronavirus.

Diagnosis A confirmed diagnosis for Mr and Mrs Abel would put the total number of Britons diagnosed from the ship at six. Reports from Japan said there are 88 more cases on board the Diamond Princess as of Tuesday, bringing the total to 542.

The number is by far the largest outside China. As of Monday afternoon, 4,501 people in total have been tested for Covid-19 in the UK, of which nine have come back positive. The death toll in mainland China rose by 98 to 1,868, in figures announced early yesterday [Tuesday] morning, while the number of people infected globally stands at 72,436, according to the country’s National Health Commission. Public Health England (PHE) has published guidance to schools telling them there is no need for children to stay off if staff, pupils or family members are undergoing Covid-19 testing.

The Boy Scouts of America files for bankruptcy after sex abuse claims BOY Scouts of America (BSA) has filed for bankruptcy protection as it faces new legal battles over thousands of alleged sexual abuses. The 110-year-old organisation made the filing yesterday [Tuesday] in a court in Wilmington, Delaware, as it tries to negotiate a potentially mammoth compensation plan for abuse victims that will allow it to survive. The Chapter 11 filing sets in motion what could be one of the biggest, most complex bankruptcies ever seen. Scores of lawyers are seeking settlements on behalf of several thousand men who say they were molested as scouts by scoutmasters or other leaders decades ago but are only now eligible to sue because of recent changes in their states’ statute of limitations laws.

The Boy Scouts is the latest major American institution to face a heavy price over sexual abuse. Roman Catholic dioceses across the country and schools such as Penn State and Michigan State have paid out hundreds of millions of dollars in recent years. The Boy Scouts’ finances have been strained in recent years by declining membership amid the sex-abuse settlements. The number of youths taking part in scouting has dropped below two million, down from more than four million at its peak in the 1970s. Most of the newly surfacing cases date to the 1960s, ‘70s and ‘80s; the organisation says there were only five known abuse victims in 2018. “A Boy Scout bankruptcy would be bigger in scale than any other child abuse bankruptcy

ALLEGATIONS A victim is comforted by his lawyer at court we’ve ever seen,” said Seattle-based lawyer Mike Pfau, whose firm is representing scores of men nationwide alleging they were abused as Boy Scouts. Illustrating the depth of its problems, the organisation in 2018 sued six of its insurers for refusing to cover its sex abuse liabilities. The insurers said their obligation was void because the Scouts refused to take effective preventive measures such as warning parents that boys might be abused.

NEWS IN BRIEF

Gas leak kills 14 and leaves hundreds sick

Assange extradition will be a ‘death sentence’

Corruption trial for Israeli PM set for after election

A GAS leak in the Pakistani port city of Karachi has killed 14 people and left hundreds more ill, health officials said. The leak set off a panic in the city and raised concerns because city officials could not immediately identify the source and type of gas involved. Officials said there was no suspicion of sabotage. The apparently odourless gas, which causes severe breathing problems, has made hundreds sick since striking the coastal neighbourhood of Kamari on Sunday night when residents began going to local hospitals.

EXTRADITION to the United States will be akin to a ‘death sentence’ for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, his father has said. John Shipton said his son had faced ‘ceaseless anxiety’ as he fights against being sent to the US on charges over the leak of classified documents. Speaking to the BBC’s Victoria Derbyshire programme, he said: “The ceaseless anxiety that Julian’s been under for now 10 years - it has had a profoundly deleterious effect. “I can’t speculate onto his state of mind, but I imagine he’ll be really worried because being sent to the United States is a death sentence.”

ISRAELI Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s corruption trial will begin on March 17, an Israeli court has said – two weeks after the national elections. The 70-year-old leader is charged with bribery, fraud and breach of trust in a number of cases in which he is alleged to have accepted lavish gifts from billionaire friends and exchanged regulatory favours for more positive media coverage. He denies any wrongdoing saying the allegations are ‘politicaly motivated’. Israel will hold parliamentary elections on March 2, its third vote in less than a year.

Wednesday February 19 | 2020

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35,000 jobs to go at HSBC as profits plunge by a third THE boss of HSBC has announced the bank’s biggest change in years, as it prepares to reduce its headcount by approximately 35,000 jobs around the world. Interim chief executive Noel Quinn said the number of people employed by the lender will go from 235,000 to 200,000 over the next three years. It means that almost 15% of the bank’s workforce will be lost. The move comes as HSBC plans to slash more than 100 billion US dollars (£77billion) from the bank’s risk-weighted assets. Banks must hold capital against assets, such as loans, based on their riskiness, so that they can take the blow if the asset is lost.

Coronavirus The news came as HSBC reported a 33% fall in pre-tax profit for 2019 to 13.35 billion dollars (£10.2billion), below analysts’ expectations. The bank said the drop was due to ‘a goodwill impairment’ of 7.3billion dollars (£5.6billion). “This arose from an update to long-term economic growth assumptions, which impacted a number of our businesses,” HSBC’s annual results statement said. The company warned that the outbreak of coronavirus had caused “significant disruption” for its business, especially in mainland China and Hong Kong. It is headquartered in London but almost half its revenue and nearly 90 per cent of profit came from Asia in 2018, with much of that coming from Hong Kong.

InterContinental reports profits despite Hong Kong and UK troubles HOLIDAY Inn owner InterContinental Hotels Group has posted higher annual profits, but revealed woes amid protests in Hong Kong and weakening performance in a Brexit-hit UK market. The group – which has 443 hotels in Greater China – said it is also prioritising the ‘health and safety’ of its staff and guests in China amid the coronavirus outbreak, though it gave no update on any expected impact on results in the region. InterContinental reported a 12% rise in pre-tax profits to 542 million US dollars (£417million) for 2019.

Demand The group - which also runs the Crowne Plaza brand - said earnings were 8% higher over the year at 630 million US dollars (£485million) as revenues lifted 7%. It reported a 0.3% fall in global comparable revenue per available room (RevPar) - a key industry measure - as it blamed “macro and geopolitical factors”, including the unrest in Hong Kong. RevPar dropped 4.5% in Greater China as a result. The UK market also saw a weakening performance at the end of the year, with fourthquarter RevPar down 2%, falling across London and the regions. Corporate demand for hotel stays was softer across the regional market in particular. Over the year as a whole, UK RevPar rose 1%, with London ahead 3% and the regions seeing a 1% fall. InterContinental said it also benefited from expanding its number of rooms at the quickest pace in more than a decade, with a 5.6% rise in its estate, which Keith Barr, chief executive of the hotel group, said helped offset the weaker RevPar seen in the hotels market.

THE LOCAL BANK HSBC is one of the world’s largest lenders and employs more than 238,000 people HSBC said coronavirus might push down lending and transactions in the region, which could reduce its revenue. It lowered its outlook for the overall Asian economy in 2020, mainly in the first quarter of the year. Mr Quinn said: “The group’s 2019 performance was resilient, however parts of our business are not delivering acceptable returns.” The business said it is still looking for a full-time boss to replace Mr Quinn, and hopes to do so within the next six to 12 months.

HSBC also addressed Brexit, saying: “Now that the UK has officially left the EU, negotiations can begin on their future relationship. “This has provided some certainty, but no trade negotiation is ever straightforward. It is essential that the eventual agreement protects and fosters the many benefits that financial services provide to both the UK and the EU.” It added the UK must also strengthen its links with other partners, including the US, China and south-east Asia.

Nissan shareholders lash out NISSAN shareholders have unleashed their anger at the Japanese car maker’s management for crashing stock prices, zero dividends and quarterly losses after the scandal-ridden departure of former chairman Carlos Ghosn. At the company’s extraordinary shareholders’ meeting on Tuesday, a succession of speakers demanded the company quickly fix diving car sales, and said its executives should give up their pay and work harder to repair a battered brand. Ghosn, a superstar executive who had led Nissan for two decades, was arrested in November 2018. He was awaiting trial on financial misconduct charges in Tokyo when he skipped bail late last year and escaped to Lebanon. New Chief Executive Makoto Uchida apologised to shareholders for having ‘allowed the misconduct’ of Ghosn and promised better governance, transparency and financial results, but pleaded for more time. He said a turnaround plan would be announced in May, which one shareholder immediately

criticised as too late. “We are in a disastrous situation,” Mr Uchida said of the Ghosn scandal. “It was shocking, and I denounce it.” Mr Uchida is among the four directors whose election was up for decision at the meeting held at a conference centre in Yokohama, near Tokyo, where Nissan is headquartered. Mr Uchida was tipped in December to replace Hiroto Saikawa, who was Ghosn’s successor. Mr Saikawa tendered his resignation last year after allegations surfaced about his own dubious personal income. His resignation becomes final at the end of the shareholders’ meeting. One shareholder asked if Mr Saikawa was giving up his retirement pay. Another asked why Jean-Dominique Senard, chairman of French alliance partner Renault SA and a Nissan board member, was seen leaving a previous shareholders’ meeting in a Toyota. Mr Senard apologised and said it was a mistake that had upset him as well.

NEWS IN BRIEF

Apple shares lose $70bn in Europe morning trades

Women give employment figures a record boost

SHARES in Apple took a significant hit in early trading yesterday [Tuesday] morning. The tech company’s stock was down 5% at €285 in Frankfurt, as European traders reacted to Monday night’s warning that revenue targets will be missed. The company has warned that the coronavirus outbreak could lead to a shortage of iPhones. Apple is worth around $1.4trillion, which means the stock fall wiped out $70bn off its current market value. The news comes as the tech giant announced earlier this week that it will launch new iriterations for its iPhone and iPad at the end of March.

UK EMPLOYMENT jumped to a record high in the three months to December as more women entered employment, new figures reveal. The number of people in work increased by 180,000 to 32.93 million in the quarter, as the number of people deemed economically inactive also shrank, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said. The surge in employment resulted in the highest figure on record and was higher than analysts had predicted, with a rise of 160,000 initially forecast. The figures also show average weekly wages in the UK have returned to pre-2008 levels for the first time.

National News

BUSINESS

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Letters

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Wednesday February 19 | 2020

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, Times Local News, Salomons Estate, Tunbridge Wells TN3 0TG RNLI Royal Tunbridge Wells Branch

Cinema steps cause falling danger

CARTOON: Peppy Scott

Thank you Trinity Arts Centre for the wonderful variety of artistic pleasures it bestows on our town. I feel especially grateful for all the films we are able to see in comfort and safety. Yes, I can still drive out to Knights Park, where the Odeon is possibly technically superior, but that selling point comes with a cost – certain of its nice comfy seats are only accessed by a central flight of steps, and the absence of any kind of bannister or handrail. For the last couple of years I have resorted to clutching on to the heads or shoulders of complete strangers while descending the said DEDICATED The Lifeboat launches to save a surfer

While it is nice to see new apartments and mews homes being built at the end of The Pantiles [February 5] it does appear we are moving closer and closer to becoming a dormitory town for commuters. This view is reinforced when you consider that we should soon see work start on more apartments in the town centre at the old cinema site, not that anyone would wish to have kept the famous ‘grot spot’. As is inevitable, more and more shops will close their doors as shoppers abandon the high

MODERN LIFE Union House by The Pantiles

Union House was worse than brutal Your correspondent described the now demolished Union House on The Pantiles, which the 1887 development replaces, as ‘brutalist’ [February 5]; it wasn’t, it was a nasty, cheap example of Modernism and did the movement no favours – like many others. Examples of Brutalism are the Hayward Gallery on the Southbank, and the Barbican in the City. Sam Goodenough Tunbridge Wells

Near-capsize shows lifeboat danger I’m sure you will no doubt have seen footage of the recent near-capsize of the Hastings Lifeboat. A heart-stopping moment for anyone involved, including the crew and anyone watching. But fortunately all was well and the crew and boat

streets and no doubt developers will see the chance to convert empty premises into homes. Obviously all this is being driven by market forces but we must avoid a town centre made up largely of luxury apartments and restaurants. There has to be a balance and we have to have ‘experience’ attractions to lure people into Tunbridge Wells. How about a theatre complex? Peter Rawlings Via email made it, eventually, safely into harbour. It was, of course, an unnecessary ‘shout’ had the perpetrator taken heed of all the warnings regarding the severity of the weather. It’s times like this which make the RNLI Royal Tunbridge Wells branch so much more determined to raise as much money as they can for such dedicated and brave people, always willing to venture out, in any weather, to help save those in difficulty at sea – and they are mostly volunteers. Our branch has numerous events throughout the year. During 2019 we raised an amazing £17,612, our best year since 2011, which raised £20,500. Pretty good for an inland branch! The people of Tunbridge Wells and the surrounding areas are always most generous when it comes to our events, and their support is very much appreciated. I think it is very important that the public understand what the Lifeboat crews go through when called out, although thankfully not all ‘shouts’ are as dramatic as the recent one. I believe that video shocked a great many people, so maybe a few eyes have been opened and, with help from the public, our branch can send even more to help the RNLI and make sure they have state-of-the-art equipment to keep them safe. Joan Hamilton-Smith

PHOTO: Henry Doe

We need to keep town centre balance

steps and simultaneously apologising for my poor balance. A more unfortunate friend of mine has just had a really unpleasant fall, having missed the bottom three steps in the dark. He assures me that the staff couldn’t have helped him up with more kindness and sympathy. Moreover he had actually seen the film Sorry We Missed You and was trying to leave the cinema, so he was thankful for small mercies. However, the tumble has somewhat dented his confidence, and it beggars belief, in my view, that such woeful facilities were ever allowed to be built and are still offered to the public. In the meantime, we shall appreciate our trips to Trinity Arts Centre and give Knights Park a bit of a wide berth. Fiona C Brown Southborough

Benefits of Ightham Mote expansion Regarding your article about opposition to relocating car parking at Ightham Mote [January 29] following positive feedback from the public consultation last September, the mansion submitted a formal planning application to Tonbridge & Malling Borough Council earlier this year. This application includes proposals to relocate car parking from the Walled Garden and North Drive to a discreet site in the adjacent field. This will enable the reinstatement of both the historic Walled Garden and North Drive approach and the creation of a new visitor reception building. This building will incorporate the shop,

replace the temporary and outdated ticket office, and free up the Coach House building – the current shop. These plans are designed to improve the facilities at Ightham Mote in order to further enhance visitors’ experience and better reintegrate the 14th-century mansion within its surrounding landscape. They result from long-standing master planning work, including an options appraisal examining 14 potential locations across the whole 533-acre estate, which concluded the most suitable site for the car park is the lower section of the field to the east of the existing car park. A Settings Assessment confirmed that overall the proposals will reduce the impact of infrastructure on the mansion, wider landscape, wildlife and nature, whilst undoing the existing harm. An important benefit to the proposals is that they would allow us to manage traffic more effectively at peak times, reducing queues and preventing congestion on the country lanes approaching Ightham Mote and in the hamlet of Ivy Hatch. Nina Elliot-Newman Kent & East Sussex National Trust

Food for thought from EU policies Michel Barnier [the EU’s Chief negotiator] joins the long and all-too-vocal chorus line of those doomsayers who claim that the UK cannot take care of its own environment once we leave the EU, and we must continue to abide by their rules. This is an organisation that encourages, by reward, the over-fishing of UK domestic waters and the over-production of commodity agricultural produce. So let us bring some real-life experience to this over-ripe political rhetoric: In May 2018 we rented a house in the hills above Tavira in the Algarve. The air was alive with emerging insect life, there were plenty of lizards about, and groundnesting birds with their broods were evident everywhere. Over the next fortnight the adjacent hill was stripped bare of all its vegetation and terraces cut back into the bare rock – ‘scorched earth’ hardly did the result justice. An adjacent hill had received similar treatment some years previously, but had begun to be reclaimed by wild nature – this is the EU agricultural policy. Letters and pictures to the likes of Caroline Lucas [Green Party MP] are ignored, or are met with ‘Ms Lucas only responds to letters from constituents’. Yet she has no hesitation in strutting the world stage at every opportunity articulating this arrant nonsense. If anything like this was attempted on our shores there would be a justified outcry – from everybody. Clearly political rhetoric trumps the cold hard facts. Edward Baker 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 is away ‘creating’ his Winter Lantern

Wednesday February 19 | 2020

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EDUCATION Times AIMing to make selective schools accessible to all AIM is a charity that ensures the Kent Test is a level playing field as it gives students from less affluent backgrounds the chance to be tutored for the 11-plus. Following the recent news that The Skinners’ School has agreed to help AIM pupils by hosting two mock exams this spring, AIM’s Chair, Zoe Cantania, tells Eileen Leahy more about the scheme – and why the grammar school’s support is so vital Zoe Cantania

HELPING TO RING THE CHANGES The Skinners’ School social mobility and increasing TUTORING for the Kent Test, or accessibility to grammar places the 11-plus as it is more commonly for bright children from lowknown, has long been something income families. The gateway to you had to have plenty of money grammar is the 11-plus test, and to do. Children at private school, familiarisation and practice is key, where it forms part of the curriculum, have always benefitted, so AIM ensures that its classes are kept small so tutors can take a keen as have those whose parents can interest in the individual child.” afford the private tuition fees. This year, AIM’s work has been Those from poorer backgrounds further boosted by the involvement have always been at a of The Skinners’ School, who have disadvantage, but thanks to AIM, a local registered charity, preparation agreed to host mock exams in April and July. to sit and hopefully pass the Kent “Grammar schools are under Test has been opened up to those increasing pressure to be more from less privileged backgrounds. The charity, which started in 2014, inclusive, but unfortunately progress is painfully slow,” continues Zoe. offers a free programme of weekly “Tunbridge Wells and Tonbridge tutoring, holiday workshops and grammars have been aware of AIM mock exams courtesy of tutors and the work we do for a number of from The Right Tuition company years. Skinners’ Headmaster, Edward to ten students from less affluent Wesson, has always been very backgrounds every academic year. supportive of our work, but this And this year one of its year he has really made a difference co-founders, Zoe Cantania, has with his contribution announced that it now towards our future by has additional support HANDS UP allowing us to run two from The Skinners’ who wants mock exams at the School, who will be the test! school which are hosting two mock Kent open to ALL Test exams this spring. “While the grammar school system was set up to offer academic education to children based on their academic ability, there is an increasing body of evidence that suggests that the system does not promote social mobility, and that children from poorer backgrounds do not have equal access to grammar school places. “AIM wants to change that,” explains Zoe. “AIM was founded by parents passionate about

children taking the test in September. “For AIM, the key is to plug the mock exams in April and July as it’s an amazing fundraising opportunity and could potentially fund a whole year of our programme. “What’s also exciting is the changes the grammar is making to policies by listening to feedback from low-income families. They’ve already rewritten documents, which is a breakthrough.” Zoe goes on to say that the mock exams, which have been written for AIM by The Right Tuition Company, are a great opportunity for children to experience the real test format, practice under timed conditions, identify strengths, and highlight areas for future focus. “Arthur Ponsonby and his team at The Right Tuition Company have been incredibly supportive of the work we do, and continually supply us with high quality tutors. At AIM we offer a very supportive environment and will try and accommodate all children with varying degrees of support.” AIM children will attend the mocks for free, but all other

children wishing to sit the mocks will be charged a fee, which will go to help fund AIM’s future work. Mr Wesson told the Times he was keen to lend his support to the charity for the 2020 Kent Test. In addition to hosting the mocks, Skinners’ are also working collaboratively with AIM to look at additional barriers low-income families face. This includes access to financial assistance with school uniforms and school trips – two things which Zoe says often ‘exacerbate societal inequalities’. “Skinners’ are genuinely committed to making changes to these policies and increasing their places for children from lowincome families. It is great they are actually doing something and not just talking about it!” The criteria for getting a place on the AIM scheme is pretty straightforward, says Zoe. “The child needs to want to do the 11-plus, go to a grammar school, and be prepared for the extra work that is involved. Families can’t earn any more than £22,000 per year in order to qualify, and each child also needs to pass an AIM entrance test so we know they are working within the academic levels required.” The AIM programme has been running for the past six years and has now seen over 60 children complete its tutoring programme.

‘The benefits go beyond the 11-plus test – all parents notice an increase in confidence and skills’ “Last year, 70 per cent of our children passed,” reveals Zoe. “And the benefits of this programme go beyond the 11-plus test – all parents notice an increase in confidence and skills.” Each AIM programme runs from January to September every week of term time, and also offers workshops during school holidays, despite having no regular funding sources. “Each year we have to apply for various grants in order to support our tutoring,” says Zoe. “This year we have been fortunate to have been given a generous donation from a trust fund, and we hope that the mock events in April and July put us in a more stable financial position for future years.” AIM classes run every Monday evening from 5.15-6.30pm from January to September at Broadmead Church Hall. There is an entrance test every November and there are ten places each year on the programme. The mock 11-plus exams take place at The Skinners’ School in St John’s Road at 2.30pm on Sunday April 26 and Sunday July 55. AIM children sit the exams for free, but others can apply and pay £40 to sit one mock and £70 to sit two mocks. Pupil premium families are eligible for a 50% discount. www.aimkent.org.uk

Education

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NEWS

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Tom Tugendhat Conservative MP for Tonbridge & Malling

Wednesday February 19 | 2020

Tom Tugendhat, MBE, left the British Army in July 2013 after a career in which he served on operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and as the military assistant to the Chief of the Defence Staff. As a Territorial Army officer, he worked on everything from those ops to establishing the Armed Forces Muslim Association, and also worked for the Foreign Office. He was first elected as a Member of Parliament in 2015, and is the current Chair of Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Select Committee.

Protection from floods requires working together AT THE weekend a flood warning was issued for the River Medway through Tonbridge, and the Environment Agency have confirmed the Leigh Flood Storage Area is operational to cope with the rainfall that Storm Dennis brought. It’s not the first time we have had to deal with flood warnings in the area, and that’s why it is important that we do all we can to prevent any flooding of properties. This requires everyone to work together and, following the floods at Christmas in 2013, I was pleased that a long-term solution to increasing capacity at the Leigh Flood Storage Area was agreed. The expansion project is now very close to reality, and I was pleased to help secure millions of pounds of Government funding for it. It is clearly needed. The Leigh Flood Storage Area is a nationally essential piece of infrastructure. It is part of the River Medway (Flood Relief) Act 1976, which gave the go-ahead for its current size. This act of Parliament has to be amended to ensure the expansion can go ahead, but I know the Government are fully behind this. Like many towns, Tonbridge was developed because of the river – the castle is deliberately on the highest piece of land by the river in town. It kept our economy running for centuries and the growth of the town has been based around it.

We can wish we didn’t have to deal with the consequences, but it has made and shaped the town we love and live in today. Access to the river was at the forefront of the minds of our ancestors when they chose where to live and trade.

WARNING The Medway is dangerously high

Responsibility Nowadays, these principles can be better managed. Tonbridge Racecourse is designed to flood to protect those properties on Barden Road and surrounding streets. We can ensure that developments near the river only happen with appropriate flood mitigation plans. The new Medical Centre, which will transform healthcare in our town for the better, cannot open until sufficient detail about how it deals with floods in the town are approved. This is clearly right. But protecting our community from flooding requires those managing properties to take responsibility, too. That’s why it was so disappointing to see Pembroke Property Management fail to take seriously their responsibilities to the residents of Riverbank House. Only last week saw water in the car park pumped out following flooding before Christmas. Without the intervention of committed local residents and Borough

Councillors Jon Botten, Matt Boughton and James Lark this would have been unlikely to have happened by now. So, what is the solution? We cannot change our town’s geography or the way growth has happened. Demand continues to be around the river and we must accept this. Our climate is changing and we can take action now to respond. Next week, the Tonbridge Forum will discuss our town’s contribution. I am delighted that eight local Conservative councillors put this on

the agenda last year, and agreed that Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council will adopt a Climate Change Strategy this year. I’d encourage everyone to put forward your ideas over the next few weeks while the consultation runs. This can be our way of making our community more resilient. Our ancestors gave us a town we can be proud of and built it up around the River Medway. This we must accept, and protect. I’m looking forward to seeing how the enhanced Leigh Flood Storage Area and Climate Change Strategy helps protect our town.

Wednesday February 19 | 2020

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AVAILABLE EVER Y WEDNESDAY – A MUST-READ

ULTIMATE GUIDE TO PROPERTY, IN TERIORS & TOP TRENDS

New homes in town at Bishop’s Mews Page 33

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MEDIEVAL MAGNIFICENCE NEAR MOTE

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Mounting elegance

in a stunning country house Page 27

PANCAKE DAY AT RETIREMENT HOTSPOT

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Wednesday February 19 | 2020

Making the most of your kitchen... Many of you might be thinking about changing your kitchen this year. Whether it’s a touch-up, new units or a total refurbishment. We asked three of the leading local experts for their thoughts and guidance on how to make your dream space come alive...

Wednesday February 19 | 2020

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Krieder

The mixture of modern and traditional is what makes this range stand out

Kutchenhaus TOTALLY on trend with concrete and stone decors from Kutchenhaus Tunbridge Wells. Clean lines, exquisite materials and clearly structured architecture – these are the distinguishing marks of our designer kitchens. Our extensive range of smooth, flawless surfaces enables you to customise your small or large lifestyle kitchen to your preferences. If a contemporary and trend-orientated design is a must-have for you, then you are spot on with our models in the popular concrete, steel or slate décor which embody a design-oriented lifestyle and convey strength and stability. At the same time, these decors stand for authenticity and naturalness – after all, nature provides the best inspiration for our decors with its many different materials and surfaces. Flush mounted hot plates and sinks reinforce the clean lines look. Our Xtra worktop decors impress with their very distinctive 3d surface texture, which creates and authentic looking natural stone or solid wood appearance. Matching upright panels and niche cladding supplement the possibilities for surround design in this natural look. Kutchenhaus Tunbridge Wells offer outstanding German kitchens at an affordable price. With our expert advice, free measurement and design service, 3D plans, alongside punctual delivery and installation, you can enjoy a space that’s entirely yours. When you buy at Kutchenhaus, you’re buying directly from the world’s largest kitchen manufacturer. We also offer finance deals – order now and pay in 2021. ■ For more information, visit Kutchenhaus, First Floor, 319 St Johns Road, Southborough TN4 9XE, call 01892 289070 or email showroom@tunbridgewells.kutchenhaus.co.uk

Steel or slate décor which embody a design-oriented lifestyle and convey strength and stability

WE love the new ‘Factory’ range from Krieder. Interior architecture is a question of balance, and the distinctive character of Krieder’s new Factory range offers a warm and welcoming environment. The mixture of modern and traditional is what makes this range stand out. In particular the framed door finished in liquid metal with a brushed and flamed Grigio Carnico marble worktop, which has also been Acid proof treated to protect the marble from day to day elements. The professional cooking appliances by Gaggenau further enhances the factory range. We also love the open bookcase for those all-important recipes books. ■ For prices and further information contact Krieder for local stockists and availability 01892 619721

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Wednesday February 19 | 2020

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 some of the aspects that make these properties well worth a look… The Town House The Street, Ightham GUIDE PRICE

£1,695,000 CONTACT • Savills, Sevenoaks • 01732 789700 • savills.co.uk A superb Grade II-listed medieval hall house of outstanding architectural and historic interest set in landscaped gardens in the centre of the village. MAIN POINTS OF INTEREST

n Double oak front doors open to the magnificent great hall with vaulted ceiling, stone mullioned windows, inglenook fireplace and minstrels’ gallery n Drawing room with fireplace n Dining room with fireplace n Sitting room with bay window n Library with fireplace n Family room with double doors to sitting room n Kitchen/breakfast room with gas-fired Aga n Scullery, utility room and cloakroom

The MEDIEVAL CHARACTER…

n Master bedroom with vaulted ceiling, stone fireplace, en-suite bathroom and adjoining dressing room/fifth bedroom n 3 further bedrooms, one with vaulted ceiling n Bathroom featuring a slipper bath, plus separate shower room n Charming landscaped gardens with a number of paved terraces, plus summerhouse, greenhouse and shed n Gated drive leading to triple garage n Self-contained games room n In total, approximately 0.7 of an acre

Wednesday February 19 | 2020

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The PRICE…

The SITTING ROOM VIEWS…

Golding Road Tunbridge Wells PRICE

£375,000 CONTACT • Barnes Kingsnorth, Pembury • 01892 822880 • bkestateagents.com A beautifully decorated end-of-terrace home build in 2017 in Knights Park, with planning for further bedroom and shower in attic. MAIN POINTS OF INTEREST ■ Living room with doors to garden ■ Kitchen/dining room

Scotsford Granary

Street End Lane Broad Oak, Nr Heathfield PRICE

£1,300,000

■ Cloakroom and creative understairs dog bed ■ 2 double bedrooms and a bathroom ■ Garden with patio and store with electricity ■ Driveway parking for two vehicles and further allocated space opposite the house ■ Planning permission for bedroom/en-suite

CONTACT • Wood & Pilcher, Heathfield • 01435 862211 • woodandpilcher.co.uk A luxurious new Granary-style country property which has been recently constructed to a high standard, including an abundance of oak joinery and sophisticated modern systems. Other notable features include a large, bespoke kitchen/dining room and stunning views. MAIN POINTS OF INTEREST

■ Oak front door leading to entrance hall ■ Bright triple-aspect sitting room with superb views and doors to terrace and garden ■ Kitchen/diner with breakfast bar, Everhot triple oven range, twin Bosch larder fridges, Quooker hot tap, fitted recycling bin, deep larder, and utility room with door to garden ■ Triple-aspect family room with feature vaulted ceiling plus doors to terrace ■ Home office/study with fitted Neville Johnson furniture ■ Ground floor bedroom with feature arch window and en-suite shower room ■ Cloakroom ■ Master bedroom suite featuring vaulted ceiling, Velux windows, Juliette balcony with glass balustrade, dressing area and luxury en-suite bathroom ■ 3 further bedrooms, one en-suite and one with Juliette balcon, plus family shower room ■ Garden with terrace and panoramic views ■ Gated driveway, parking and double garage

The Dairy

St John’s Road Tunbridge Wells PRICES FROM

PANCAKE DAY! at The Dairy Tuesday Feb 25

£381,950 (Rental options are also available) TO BOOK YOUR PLACE FOR PANCAKE DAY, CONTACT

• McCarthy & Stone • 0800 2010385 • mccarthyandstone.co.uk McCarthy and Stone are inviting Tunbridge Wells locals to its Retirement Living Plus development, The Dairy in St John’s Road, next Tuesday, February 25 for an afternoon of pancake making from 2pm-4pm. In just one example of the many activities at the development, residents and guests will decorate a variety of delicious sweet and savoury pancakes to suit their taste and enjoy them in the comfort of the communal lounge. Julie Ward of McCarthy and Stone said: “We are looking forward to opening our doors to the people of Tunbridge Wells for what promises to be a fantastic afternoon of pancake making.” Visitors can also explore the development and find out more about the remaining apartments for people aged 70 and over. There special offers on selected properties reserved before February 29, 2020.

Wednesday February 19 | 2020

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Mount House

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AT A GLANCE

THE MOUNT HOUSE HIGH STREET, BRASTED ■ Exceptional Grade II-listed attached Georgian property offering grand proportions and excellent secondary accommodation ■ Parts dating from 1720 with later Regency and Victorian additions, plus desirable modern features ■ Reception hall ■ Drawing room ■ Dining room ■ Library ■ Kitchen/breakfast/family room ■ Butler’s pantry ■ Utility room

Grand designs lead to splendour in the grass in a country house bursting with character and charm

■ Bar ■ 2 cloakrooms ■ Cellar, incuding wine cellar ■ Master bedroom suite ■ 2 double guest bedrooms with en suites ■ 5 further bedrooms ■ 2 bathrooms ■ Second floor sitting room, bedroom, snug, storeroom and attic room Detached Barn Annexe ■ Reception ■ Kitchen ■ 2 double bedrooms ■ Shower room and bathroom Outside ■ Beautiful formal gardens and parkland grounds with patio ■ Tennis court ■ Oak frame detached double garage ■ In total, about 5.5 acres

GUIDE PRICE

£3,150,000

CONTACT • Savills, Sevenoaks • 01732 789700 • savills.co.uk

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3

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BENENDEN, KENT

C

harming Grade II listed country house set in delightful gardens and grounds with views over its own moat and lake.

8 B E D R O O M S | 4 B AT H R O O M S | C OAC H H O U S E W I T H G A R AG I N G A N D S PAC E F O R S E C O N DA RY AC C O M M O DAT I O N S T P P E XT E N S I V E O U T B U I L D I N G S I N C L U D I N G C A R M U S E U M , WO R K S H O P A N D F U L LY F I T T E D P U B | WA L L E D G A R D E N , P O N D S , L A K E , M OAT, E XT E N S I V E PA D D O C K S A N D WO O D L A N D | I N A L L A B O U T 1 1 0 AC R E S

Guide price £4,000,000 simon.biddulph@knightfrank.com 01892 310997

knightfrank.co.uk

HOMES FOR SALE IN KENT AND EAST SUSSEX

1

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ST JAMES ROAD, TUNBRIDGE WELLS

BISHOPS DOWN PARK ROAD, TUNBRIDGE WELLS

An elegant detached Victorian house arranged over three storeys, in the sought-after St James area.

A brand new townhouse on a private no-through road within an exclusive development.

6 BEDROOMS | 3 BATHROOMS | DRIVEWAY | SECLUDED GARDEN | EPC D

5 BEDROOMS | 3 BATHROOMS | REAR GARDEN | GARAGE| APPROX. 0.9 MILES FROM STATION

Guide price £1,250,000

Guide price £899,950

ross.davies@knightfrank.com 01892 310997

ross.davies@knightfrank.com 01892 310997

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1

KINGS AVENUE, TUNBRIDGE WELLS

ARGOS HILL, EAST SUSSEX

OPEN HOUSE - 29TH FEBRUARY, 11AM - 3PM - A Regency style semi-detached house built by Berkeley Homes.

An attractive major portion of a fine Victorian country house with accommodation arranged over three floors.

5 BEDROOMS | 3 BATHROOMS | GARDEN | GARAGE | STATION APPROX. 0.6 MILES | EPC B

3 BEDROOMS | 2 BATHROOMS | COMMUNAL GARDENS | PRIVATE GARAGE | EPC E

Guide price £1,195,000

Guide price £425,000

ross.davies@knightfrank.com 01892 310285

holly.sibley@knightfrank.com 01892 310997

Knight Frank Tunbridge Wells 47 High Street, Tunbridge Wells, TN1 1XL 01892 310997

knightfrank.co.uk

NORTH TONBRIDGE PRICE GUIDE £600,000 TICKING THE WOW FACTOR BOX! Take a look at this beautifully presented family home offering stylish and spacious accommodation including fabulous kitchen/dining/family room, delightful sitting room, TV/Playroom, study and en-suite shower room, store/utility room plus four bedrooms and luxury family bathroom to first floor. Plenty of parking and super, landscaped garden. NO ONWARD CHAIN. EPC: C Apply Tonbridge

PEMBURY £475,000 DETACHED BUNGALOW with double garage and driveway parking conveniently placed close to the High Street, bus stops and Tesco supermarket. Now requiring some updating, the accommodation comprises: wide hallway, good-sized sitting room with space for table and chairs, kitchen with plenty of storage, main bedroom with wardrobes, bedroom 2/dining room, further bedroom, shower room. Driveway parking leading to a double garage at the rear of the garden. Pretty garden to the front and level, rear garden with lawn and patio. EPC: D NO ONWARD CHAIN. Apply Pembury

PEMBURY £420,000 FANTASTIC FAMILY HOME! This light and bright, 3 double bedroom detached property has everything you are looking for! The accommodation is well-presented and comprises: entrance porch, open plan sitting /dining room/conservatory, modern kitchen, 3 double bedrooms all with built-in wardrobes and a large, recently-fitted, family bathroom. There is driveway parking at the front as well as an integral garage and to the rear is a low-maintenance garden which wraps around to the side of the property, offering potential to extend (stpp). EPC: D Apply Pembury

Residential Pembury: 01892 822880 Tonbridge: 01732 771616 Sales & Lettings e: pembury@bkea.co.uk e: tonbridge@bkea.co.uk

Lettings: 01732 771616 e: lettings@bkea.co.uk

www.bkestateagents.com

Wednesday February 19 | 2019

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New Homes

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Property Focus NEW H OMES

Bishops Down Mews Bishops Down Park Road Tunbridge Wells GUIDE PRICES FROM

£995,000

CONTACT • Knight Frank, Tunbridge Wells • 01892 515035 • knightfrank.co.uk An exclusive development of five stylish new four and five-bedroom townhouses arranged over four floors in a private no-through road just under a mile from Tunbridge Wells town centre. The kitchens feature an exclusive range of white high gloss contemporary handle-less cabinets with a grey quartz worktop and upstand, AEG appliances and a wine fridge. The bathrooms include white sanitary ware with white gloss contemporary vanity units and large walk-in showers. A Beam Axco central ventilation system is installed throughout, which negates the need for extractor fans. MAIN POINTS OF INTEREST Lower Ground Floor n Cinema/family room n Utility room n Integral garage Ground Floor

n Open-plan kitchen/dining room and lounge First and Second Floors

n 4 bedrooms, two with en suites n Family bathroom Homes with Extra Bedroom

n Houses one to four have a fifth bedroom that can also be used as a study Gardens and Grounds

n Landscaped gardens to the front with feature planting, block paved pathways and a permeable Tarmac drive n Rear balconies have steps down to garden provided with top soil and a patio area Garages

n Featuring electronically-operated up-andover doors, power and lighting

NEW HOMES NOW AVAIL ABLE

Willow Grove LADDINGFORD

THE WILLOW

THE ASPEN

THE HAWTHORN

THE CEDAR

4 BED HOME Prices from £610,000

4 BED HOME Prices from £575,000

4 BED HOME Prices from £530,000

3 BED HOME Prices from £450,000

Discover a beautiful collection of new homes now available at Willow Grove in Laddingford.

SHOW HOME NOW OPEN Visit dandara.com, call 01892 730 695 or email willowgrove@dandara.com Visit our Sales & Marketing Suite

Claygate Road, Laddingford, Maidstone, ME18 6BB. Open Thursday - Monday 10am - 5pm

Specification may vary subject to house type and build stage. Full details available on request. Price and details correct at time of going to print. Computer Generated Images shown are for indicative purposes only.

Wednesday February 19 | 2020

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arts

40

ALL ABOUT STEVE Steve Walter’s When the Change Came is published by Indigo Dreams. He has also been published in The Literary Review, Poetry South-East 2000 and Acumen, as well as the Kent & Sussex Poetry Society Folio collections. His poem Gaia 2020 is published by Making Connections Matter. First performed at the University for Peace, Costa Rica.

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Wednesday February 19 | 2020

More than words...

Tunbridge Wells Friends of the Earth has recently launched its first Poetry and Prose Competition. Here one of its members, Steve Walter, who is also a published poet and author, explains more about the contest and how you can get involved

F

OR 2020, Friends of the Earth in Tunbridge Wells is launching its first Poetry and Prose Competition. We decided to launch it because we believe in the importance of celebrating and changing hearts and minds for the health of the planet. The words of Greta Thunberg, for example, have been very powerful in recent months in shaping public opinion, and we’re offering a chance for the people of Tunbridge Wells to share their own voice publicly. The broad theme for the inaugural competition is the environment: Climate change, and climate action, for the wellbeing of the planet, and whatever this might inspire in your writing at the current time. We have chosen Earth Day 2020 – which this year falls on April 22 – as a focus as it is about climate action, and mobilising global support for positive measures to reverse climate change. Friends of the Earth decided to launch a poetry competition because, personally speaking as a poet and author, I think poetry

can be a particularly powerful way of expressing creatively every aspect of life, including emotion and concern for the planet. We also decided to include a prose category as we recognise that not everybody likes poetry, or finds it the best way of expressing themselves. As a result, we’ve included the option for anyone to say what they feel, creatively in prose, in any style they prefer, up to a

The deadline for entries is midnight on Tuesday March 31, 2020, and the winners will be announced on Earth Day, Wednesday 22 April, 2020, at Trinity Theatre’s gallery. Entries should be the author’s own work, and may have been previously published (if this is the case, the place of publication should be cited). Good luck – and happy writing! To enter, send your

‘The broad theme is the environment: Climate change, and climate action’ maximum of 500 words. The competition, which is now up and running, is open to anyone who lives, works or attends school in the borough of Tunbridge Wells. Entry is free and you can either enter two poems or one piece of prose. However, a donation to Tunbridge Wells Friends of the Earth is kindly invited, but not essential. There will be a prize of £25 for the winner, donated by Making Connections Matter, and the judges are myself, Abegail Morley and Jill Munro.

poem (maximum 50 lines) or prose (maximum 500 words) by email to: steve@ makingconnectionsmatter.org Remember to give the title of the poem, as well as your name, in the email, but not on the entry itself. No alterations can be made to your work once submitted. All winners will be notified prior to the Earth Day announcement on April 22. For further information, email: tunwellsfoe@gmail.com To find out more about Earth Day, visit: earthday.org takeclimateaction.uk

ECO-WRITER Steve Walter

Wednesday February 19 | 2020

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Arts & Culture

Time to face the music

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BANGING THE DRUM FOR TALENT Ensemble Bash

The Tonbridge Music Club has been hosting memorable concerts for nearly 60 years. Ahead of it welcoming the talented Aquinas Piano Trio on February 29, committee member Rachel Davies tells Eileen Leahy why it’s such a noteworthy group to be part of bring, and to the educational as well entertainment potential of fine performances. Tickets are always on sale for individual concerts, but the backbone of the club has always been its members, who buy an annual season ticket giving admission to all concerts. At present, concerts are held in either the Parish Church of St Peter & St Paul, Tonbridge, or in the Big School at Tonbridge School, but other venues are under consideration.

TUNE IN: See the Aquinas Piano Trio on February 29 When did Tonbridge Music Club begin, and how has it evolved over the years? The club was founded in 1962 and has been bringing great music to the town for almost 60 years and, in that time, it has built up a remarkable tradition. Without the need to travel up to London, local people have the chance to see and hear some of the world’s greatest musicians, and to experience the thrill that only a live concert can create. They are also able to do this at a very competitive price. Tonbridge Music Club [TMC] is a registered charity

and the trustees and helpers are all volunteers who are passionate about classical music and want it to benefit the community. How many concerts do you host a year? The current core season runs from October through to May and comprises five concerts. TMC also arranges occasional pre-concert talks, workshops, family concerts and special events for members. It is committed to the enrichment that high quality live music can

You have the Aquinas Piano Trio coming along to play on Saturday. Can you tell us about some other memorable musicians you have hosted? Over its almost 60-year history, TMC has welcomed some very well known, if not famous, musicians. But they have always been closely linked by the quality of the music they have performed. Variety is important, too, and as well as traditional chamber music ensembles, the club tries to make its SUMMER STAR See pianist Mariam programme Batsashvili on May 9 of concerts as

interesting and diverse as possible. For example, our concert last month featured Ensemble Bash, a four-person group playing percussion, heavily influenced by West African music. Many years ago, the famous cellist Jacqueline du Pré played for us. And the guitarist Julian Bream has been one of our performers. More recently, we welcomed the violinist Tasmin Little, whose sellout concert closed our 2018/19 season. In 2018, another

well-known guitarist, Craig Ogden, performed during our season. Your final concert on May 9 features up-and-coming Georgian pianist Mariam Batsashvili, a BBC Radio 3 New Generation artist. What are you looking forward to most about Mariam? Having heard Mariam play at the Proms last August, I am just delighted that many others from Tonbridge will be able to share the pleasure of listening to such a young, talented artist. We are very lucky to be able to welcome her here. Tickets to see the Aquinas Piano Trio cost £20 pp. They are one of the UK’s most sought after chamber groups and at their concert on February 29 will play a variety of music by Haydn, Schumann and Beethoven. If you are interested in finding out more about Tonbridge Music Club, please visit tmc.org.uk

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Going Out

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goingout 7 days of activities

THE WRONG SWAN Scheming Odile in Swan Lake at the Odeon and Picture House Uckfield

By Jerome Bowman

WEDNESDAY Directed by the late Terry Jones, Monty Python’s Life of Brian is coming to the Odeon for a special screening tonight at 8.15pm. Follow unwitting hero Brian as he joins the Jewish revolution against the Romans and accidentally becomes a messianic figure. Expect to see Roman soldiers, aliens, Jesus Christ, and an argument about transgenderism. Regarded as one of the greatest comedy films of all time, the anarchic sense of humour and satirical bent has barely dulled with the years. Tickets cost £11.75 from odeon.co.uk THURSDAY James McAvoy stars in Martin Crimp’s National Theatre adaptation of Cyrano de Bergerac, which will be live screened at the Picture House Uckfield at 7pm. He may be a master of the sword and the mightier pen, but Cyrano is held back romantically by one rather large problem – his abnormally sized nose. This tale of love and the power of language in overcoming vanity and big noses is directed by Jamie Lloyd. Tickets cost £20 and can be booked at picturehouseuckfield.com Circus Zyair is still on at The Hop Farm, near Paddock Wood, until February 23, giving you plenty of chances to experience the thrills and comical spills. This high energy circus features crazy clowns, acrobats, jugglers and high wire daredevils in an hour and a half of spectacular sights and death-defying stunts. The tent itself is centrally heated so you can watch the whole performance in comfort. Various times are available each day, so for more information and to book your tickets, go to thehopfarm.co.uk Hever Castle’s Living with Nature is a chance to discover more about wildlife and nature, and there are plenty of activities to get involved with, including a falconry display, crafting activities for the children, and a nature trail where you can try to spot all the wooden bugs and insects out there. You can also feed the birds and fish in the moat for 50p a bag of feed (don’t try eating it yourself), and

Wednesday February 19 | 2020

Folly Wildlife Rescue, as well as other charities, will have stands. For more details on times, prices and more, go online to hevercastle.co.uk FRIDAY Trinity Youth Theatre are back with a production of High School Musical 2. Join the East High gang as they finish their final year of Junior High. When they all get hired for jobs at the Lava Springs Country Club, the group must learn to come together for a talent show in spite of their love interests and differences. The first show is at 2pm but there will be an evening performance at 7pm. Tickets cost £12.50. For more information and times, dates and to book, go online to trinitytheatre.net Come and See the Minions in Royal Victoria Place today. There’s a good chance your children are totally mad about these anthropomorphic tictacs, and Kevin and Bob and will be around from 11am until 3pm for meet and greets. Make sure you bring your camera to get some pictures of the cheeky duo. For more information on times, visit royalvictoriaplace.com SATURDAY Be sure not to miss the rescheduled Winter Lantern Parade with Bagpuss today from 5.30pm to 9pm, starting near 17 Calverley Road in the precinct. After all the creative workshops, it will yet again

REVOLUTIONARY The Life of Brian at the Odeon

Wednesday February 19 | 2020

FOR EVEN MORE NEWS VISIT: timeslocalnews.co.uk

NOSE OUT A NATIONAL THEATRE GEM Cyrano de Bergerac is at the Picture House Uckfield

be a feast for the eyes! But after being postponed from February 8 due to stormy weather, the parade is now in urgent need of volunteers to help with marshalling and act as road closure stewards. If you are interested, send the organisers a private message at facebook.com/WinterLanternParade or email: support@winterlanterns.org For their first concert of 2020, the Tonbridge Philharmonic Orchestra will be performing works from two of Russia’s most influential modern composers. Mussorgsky’s ‘Pictures At An Exhibition’ was originally composed for the piano, but it is Maurice Ravel’s orchestration that has become the most well known and popular version. Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5 will also be performed. It’s huge emotional range and sense of drama were influenced by the composer’s anxieties about living under Communism. The concert is at St Peter & St Paul Church and starts at 7.30pm. Tickets cost £17, with concessions and season tickets also available. Visit tonphil.org.uk The Spa Valley Railway is holding another Murder Mystery Evening.. Steam back to August 1942, where Inspector Sixpence (he used to be called Ninepence before cuts!) is confronted by a figure from his past that could change everything. You will be briefed on the curious case at 6.15pm at Tunbridge Wells West Station before embarking on a trip full of intrigue and ambiguity – and a fish and chip supper! Tickets cost £40 and can be booked at spavalleyrailway.co.uk

MONDAY Join the TWUNTS in The George for their relaxed Ukulele Jam at 8pm. All levels of experience, including those who once inspired fear and hatred in their music teachers at school, are welcome. Grab a drink at the bar and join in with the group on a huge variety of songs. Attendance is free. For more information, visit twukulele.com TUESDAY You can still see art exhibition 1.5 Degrees at Trinity Theatre. Curated by Sian Thomas and Angharad Brittle, the exhibition features work from a group of South-East-based artists working in a huge variety of mediums, from ceramics to ice sculptures, all united by the common theme of climate change. The gallery is free to attaend and is open whenever the theatre is. For more information, visit trinitytheatre.net THE MINIONS are at Royal Victoria Place

SUNDAY One of the most popular ballets of all time, the Bolshoi Ballet’s Swan Lake,, will be screened live from the Moscow at the Odeon and the Picture House Uckfield today. It tells the bewitching story of sweet Odette, who is turned into a swan by day by an evil sorcerer, and her nemesis, Black Swan Odile. Can Prince Siegfried break the spell by promising eternal fidelity? The screening starts at 3pm. Tickets cost £23.75 for adults and concessions are available. To book, visit odeon.co.uk and picturehouseuckfield.com YOU CAN STLL ROLL UP FOR CIRCUS ZYAIR at The Hop Farm

Going Out

Life&Times

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Life&Times

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 Soda Prism, Elo Quitmann & Kerrie Fuller Friday Dave Ital & Friends Sunday Sorrel Nation, Summit Of The Big Low & Coney Island Maybe Monday Singers’ Night

live music

THE ANCHOR INN London Road, Sevenoaks Free entry Music from 8pm Wednesday Stompin’ Dave and Earl Jackson

With Paul Dunton

MUSICSTATION Bank Street, Tonbridge Booking essential For information, call 01732 350629 Thursday & Friday 8pm-9.30pm Adult band workshop, all levels welcome

T

ONIGHT [Wednesday], blues fans can enjoy Stompin’ Dave and Earl Jackson at The Anchor Inn, Sevenoaks, and Soda Prism is headlining at The Grey Lady with support from Elo Quitmann and Kerrie Fuller. Friday is a busy night across the local scene with many fantastic gigs on offer. Dreadzone are at The Tunbridge Wells Forum; Dave Ital & Friends are at The Grey Lady; The Royal Oak hosts renowned blues duo Nigel Bagge & Eddie Armer; folk fans can catch the superb Greg Russell at St Edith Folk Club; and if you like Dire Straits, then acclaimed tribute DS:UK are at The Stag Theatre in Sevenoaks. Saturday night is also jam-packed, with Mark Lees at The Bedford; Duck Soup at The Beau Nash Tavern; and The Polygons headlining at The Forum with support from Pattern and Red Coast.

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

Classical music enthusiasts should definitely head to St Peter & St Paul’s Church this Saturday night for a rousing concert by the Tonbridge Philharmonic Orchestra, who will be performing a repertoire by Mussorgsky, Ravel and Shostakovich, conducted by Ben Westerman. Close out the weekend on Sunday with popular local songstress Sorrel Nation at The Grey Lady, with support from Summit of The Big Low and Coney Island Maybe. Looking ahead to next week, on Monday night The George hosts its regular TWUNT Ukulele Jam session, and The Stable showcase returns to The Forum with Righteous Sons, Sheena, Sonic Property and Sunflower Sutra all performing. On Tuesday evening, The Punch & Judy in Tonbridge host William Harper, while the Jenny Wren Band return to The Toad Rock Retreat.

THE TUNBRIDGE WELLS FORUM The Common, London Road Event information and tickets at twforum.co.uk Friday Dreadzone & DJ Matty Dread Saturday The Polygons, Pattern & Red Coast Monday The Stable: Righteous Sons, Sheena, Sonic Property & Sunflower Sutra

Friday DS:UK (Dire Straits tribute) ST EDITH FOLK CLUB Kemsing All event information and tickets at stedithfolk.co.uk Friday Greg Russell ST PETER & ST PAUL’S CHURCH Tonbridge All event information and tickets at tonphil.org.uk Saturday Tonbridge Philharmonic Orchestra Concert: Mussorgsky/Ravel: ‘Pictures at an Exhibition’ and Shostakovich: ‘5th Symphony’ Conductor: Ben Westerman THE BEDFORD PUB 2 High Street Free entry Music from 8pm till late Saturday Mark Lees THE BEAU NASH TAVERN Mount Ephraim Free entry Music from 8pm till late Saturday Duck Soup THE SUSSEX ARMS BASEMENT Sussex Mews

THE ROYAL OAK PUB Prospect Road Free entry Music from 8pm till late Friday Nigel Bagge & Eddie Armer THE STAG THEATRE London Road, Sevenoaks All event information and tickets at stagsevenoaks.co.uk

Wednesday February 19 | 2020

Dreadzone

Elo Quitmann Information and tickets at twforum.co.uk Sunday Monasteries, MTXS & Graphic Nature THE GEORGE PUB Mount Ephraim Free entry Music from 8pm till late Monday TWUNT: Ukulele Jam session THE TOAD ROCK RETREAT Upper Street Free entry Music from 7pm till late Tuesday Jenny Wren & Band THE PUNCH & JUDY St Stephens Road, Tonbridge Free entry Music from 8pm Tuesday William Harper

PHOTO: Simon Partington

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food

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Food & Drink FOR EVEN MORE NEWS VISIT: timeslocalnews.co.uk

Wednesday February 19 | 2020

Why TV chef James Martin is the secret ingredient for this year’s Pub in the Park With James Martin recently announced as the host of this summer’s Pub in the Park, and tickets now on sale for the Tunbridge Wells event, Richard Williams quizzed the celebrity chef about what’s cooking for 2020…

“I am really looking forward to coming back as I’ve not been for such a long time and it will be nice to see how much it has changed from what I remember!”

Top-class But, hang on, how did James, who runs restaurants in Manchester and at the fivestar Chewton Glen Hotel in Hampshire, get involved in Tom Kerridge’s Pub in the Park? “Last year I got a phone call from Tom to say could I help him out as he had double booked himself! Knowing Tom, it is probably because he was on another holiday,” James laughs. “So I agreed to fill in for him on three dates this year.” As well as James Martin, the Tunbridge Wells foodie festival will also welcome other top-class chefs, including it’s somewhere that Atul Kochhar, holds quite a few who runs Indian memories for him. Essence in Petts “Tunbridge Wells is the WEEKEND KITCHEN Wood, and local boys second place we opened a James Martin James and Chris Tanner, Hotel du Vin around 20 years who own The Kentish Hare at ago,” he explains. “I was head Bidborough. They will all be cooking chef at the original one in Winchester so up a storm at their individual pop-up I came to Tunbridge Wells to do a bit of restaurants over the course of the weekend, cheffing when it opened.

‘Beverley Knight’s playing, and I know her so it’s great she is coming. And then there’s James Blunt and Craig David’

ABOVE: SOAKING UP THE SUN AND FUN at a previous Pub in the Park event in Dunorlan Park

F

OR the past two summers Dunorlan Park has been transformed into a gourmet and grooves galaxy courtesy of Michelin-star chef Tom Kerridge’s Pub in the Park event. And this year it’s set to return bigger and better than ever – with an added special ingredient: TV chef James Martin as its host. The former BBC Saturday Kitchen anchor, who now presents his own eponymously-

titled show on ITV every Saturday, will be at the helm of the Tunbridge Wells event, which will welcome the finest purveyors of local food and drink, a slew of seasoned chefs, and a fantastic bill of live music over the weekend of July 10-12. James, who will also be hosting Pub in the Park in Chichester and joining Tom at the Bath event, says he is really looking forward to hosting in Tunbridge Wells as

Wednesday February 19 | 2020

and also doing the odd demo in the event’s kitchen area, which is where you’ll find James. “It’ll be so good to meet all the great chefs that are coming,” he continues. “Many of them I already know, but others are quite new to me. “There’s one guy I’m looking forward to meeting again, and that’s Andrew Pern from The Star Inn at Harome [in Yorkshire], as I went to college with him. He was in the year above me, so it will be great to catch up with him as well as all the other chefs I’ve met and worked with over the years.” But it’s not just a sensational smorgasbord of epicurean eats that will be served up at Pub in the Park. James is also excited about the music bill that’s currently being curated for the weekend. “So far, Beverley Knight’s playing, and I know her so it’s great she is coming. And then there’s James Blunt and Craig David – it is going to be such fun!” Pub in the Park not only celebrates food,

FOR EVEN MORE NEWS VISIT: timeslocalnews.co.uk glorious food, it innovates, too, given the amount of chefs who’ll be demonstrating how they continuously push culinary boundaries in order to keep at the top of their gourmet game. And James says that with the dawn of a new decade – and Brexit – this is more relevant than ever. “We are in a new decade so I imagine we will see some new trends and changes in the food world. I think the B-word [Brexit] will also have an influence, and I hope one thing that comes out of it is we begin to appreciate and buy the great food on our own doorstep. “We have such great food here, especially in Kent. They call it the Garden of England for a reason, and while it is no Yorkshire, there is some great produce. It is not just apples!” For all the latest information on the Pub in the Park bands playing in Tunbridge Wells, visit pubintheparkuk.com/tunbridge-wells/music TWO’S COMPANY James Martin and Tom Kerridge

Food & Drink

Life&Times

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Best budget-beating bottles This week, Times Drinks Editor James Viner picks two quality wines for under a fiver Last year, the average price of a bottle of wine in the UK rose to £5.93, up from 2018’s £5.73. This year it’s set to break the £6 barrier for the first time in June, according to new research by the Wine and Spirit Trade Association. So, with that in mind, I have selected two decent, and surprisingly drinkable, purse-friendly wines for £5 or less a bottle. I want to prove that drinking pleasure at this price point is not (yet) impossible! Grab these bargain bottles while you can… 1) THE BARGAIN OWN-LABEL RED FROM A POSH SUPERMARKET 2018 Waitrose Rich and Intense Italian Red, Puglia, Italy (13%, Waitrose & Ocado, £4.99) Step forward this smooth, budget-beating, medium-bodied Apulian red, mostly Nero di Troia and Primitivo, with a splash of Montepulciano. With lashings of squishy black cherry, blackberry and bramble fruit, it’s the crowd-pleasing sub-£5 red of the winter. A whizz with Italian cuisine, particularly stews and ragùs. Buon appetito. 2) GET THIS SPANISH ROSADO BEFORE IT GOES 2018 Toro Loco Rosado, Utiel-Requena, Valencia,Spain (11.5%, Aldi, £3.79. In store only) German discounter Aldi shows you don’t have to compromise on taste or quality in order to cut back a little. Quite simply, this offering is extreme value. I did a double take when I saw the price. Snap up this terrific-value, light-bodied but sprightly redcurrant, cherry and ripe pear-stashed rosado, made from the drought-

1

resistant, dark-skinned Bobal grape in the unglamorously denominated region of UtielRequena. Versatile vino to sip well-chilled on its own or with roast chicken, sardines, esqueixada and other salads. At just under £4, there is very little to quibble with. An end of line steal. TIPPLES TIPS FROM THE TOP Sam Caporn, Aldi’s Mistress of Wine, says: “When it comes to wine, a low-price tag doesn’t have to mean low quality – it’s all about understanding the grape varieties and flavours you enjoy. “Aldi is known for its great quality wines, and with many award-winning bottles available for under £5, it’s no surprise Brits are being savvier with their choices. “For whites, I’d pick out both Aldi’s fruit-forward New Zealand Makarka Sauvignon Blanc 2018 (12.5%) and zesty Portuguese Animus Vinho Verde 2018 (11%) as two more examples that I’d happily drink – respectively £4.99 and £4.79.” DATE FOR YOUR DIARY The Discover Local Heroes drinks event is on this Sunday [February 23] at the Camden Centre. Organiser Jo Smith says: “It is a chance for us to meet local drinks producers of sparkling wine, gin, beer, cider and mead. We can taste and compare all the exciting new drinks that come from the local area and talk to the people who make them. Full glasses will be served at reduced prices and bottles can be bought to take away.” Tickets are priced from £6 to £15 Visit discoverlocalevents.co.uk

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Follow James Viner on Twitter @QuixoticWine

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Books

The bookcase… This week’s bookcase includes reviews of A Good Neighbourhood by Therese Anne Fowler, and Grown Ups by Marian Keyes

BOOK OF THE WEEK

Grown Ups by Marian Keyes

9/10

Published in hardback by Michael Joseph, priced £20 (ebook £9.99) Jessie Casey has turned her hobby into a fortune by opening a chain of upmarket grocery stores. She lacks for nothing but family, and so she has co-opted her second husband’s brothers, wives and children, along with her own ‘blended’ brood, to create those Instagram-perfect moments of which memories are nowadays built. But one sister-in-law worries about food waste, and the other suffers the torments of a secret eating disorder. Chuck envy, illicit passion and financial pressures into the pot and soon this carefully constructed broth is simmering to the boil. Marian Keyes, as usual, nails the zeitgeist while handling a huge cast of characters with aplomb. I particularly enjoyed the student son, bored out of his mind at a family meal, who can’t make a move on a girl sitting at another table because she doesn’t have her phone. (Review by Elizabeth EM Ryan)

A Good Neighbourhood by Therese Anne Fowler Published in hardback by Headline, priced £16.99 (ebook £16.99)

Set in cookie-cutter, tight-knit, North Carolina suburbia, A Good Neighbourhood centres around the lives and conflicts of two families – the Whitmans and the Alston-Holts. But the book crosses more than just yard boundaries in this small community. The race towards the inevitable

Wednesday February 19 | 2020

conclusion is shattering, and on its way the book tackles everything from racial profiling to white privilege, power, sexual abuse, Christian conservatism and the environment – yet it manages to do so in a way that is not preachy or overbearing. Fowler’s writing is beautiful, compelling and heartbreaking. It’s the kind of book you tell your friends to drop what they are doing and read immediately, just so you have someone to talk about it with. (Review by Megan Baynes)

9/10

Djinn Patrol On The Purple Line by Deepa Anappara Published in hardback by Chatto & Windus, priced £14.99 (ebook £9.99)

Children have been going missing in a slum (basti) on the sprawling outskirts of an Indian city, clogged by both people and pollution. Jai, a nine year old obsessed with crime TV, determines to solve the mystery, even if djinns (spirits/demons) are responsible. He enlists the help of his friends – Pari, who would rather study, and Faiz, who has to juggle his part-time job. The basti, a jumbled, crowded place full of side-alleys, samosa carts, street children and Hindus and Muslims sideby-side, is vividly drawn through Jai’s young eyes. Smog, djinns, HTC phones and missing children are all treated with the same naïve interest. This is Anappara’s first novel, but it builds on her experience as a journalist of reporting from many such slums. The sense of injustice is strong and only strengthens over the course of the book, as the insistence on the protective power of stories becomes hollower and real-life tragedy breaks through. (Review by Josh Pugh Ginn)

8/10

FOR EVEN MORE NEWS VISIT: timeslocalnews.co.uk NON-FICTION

How To Argue With A Racist by Adam Rutherford

Published in hardback by Weidenfeld & Nicolson, priced £12.99 (ebook £6.99)

9/10

This admirable little book addresses the misuses of science to justify bigotry. One of the most pleasing observations offered by Adam Rutherford, a great communicator who knows how to simplify difficult concepts, is that the racist you are arguing with will himself be far from CHILDREN’S BOOK REVIEW

The Good Hawk by Joseph Elliott

Published in paperback by Walker Books, priced £7.99 (ebook £6.47) In this electrifying debut, Joseph Elliott introduces us to teenagers Agatha, a hawk who patrols her clan’s walls, and Jaime, an angler reluctant to find his designated place on the sea. Set in a dystopian UK, their clan is one of a few inhabiting the Skye isles after a plague wiped out the mainland. When a pact with a neighbouring clan leads to disaster, it’s up to Agatha and Jaime to work together to restore order to their world. But along the way they must face the terrors that lurk beyond their island, including the ruthless ‘deamhain’ from Norveg and the ‘sgailean’ – shadow beasts – that roam the mainland. This is the first instalment in the Shadow Skye series – and it’s an absolute cracker. Elliott is an exciting new voice in fantasy; his characters feel familiar and lovable in a matter of pages, but he doesn’t shy away from packing punches where

Books

racially pure. “People move and recreate with great vigour, and admixture between different and previously separate populations is the norm,” he writes. The accusing finger might as well point at its owner, because as Rutherford observes: “For humans, there are no purebloods, only mongrels enriched by the blood of multitudes.” The reader will be similarly enriched by the quick blood of this book. (Review by Julian Cole) needed. With seemingly little effort, he weaves hope and humour with loss and heartbreak, as well as lessons in sexuality and disability. Basing Agatha on schoolchildren with Down Syndrome he previously worked with results in a fresh new heroine. A highly recommended read for ages 12+. (Review by Nicole Whitton)

10/10

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BOOK CHARTS HARDBACKS 1. The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse by Charlie Mackesy 2. Pinch of Nom Everyday Light by Kay Featherstone and Kate Allinson 3. Motherwell: A Girlhood by Deborah Orr 4. Veg by Jamie Oliver 5. Pine by Francine Toon 6. Twas The Nightshift Before Christmas by Adam Kay 7. Miss Austen by Gill Hornby 8. The Beast of Buckingham Palace by David Walliams 9. American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins 10. The Body by Bill Bryson PAPERBACKS 1. Big Sky by Kate Atkinson 2. The Volunteer by Jack Fairweather 3. The Binding by Bridget Collins 4. Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams 5. The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper by Hallie Rubenhold 6. Blood & Sugar by Laura Shepherd-Robinson 7. War Doctor: Surgery on the Front Line by David Nott 8. Surrounded By Idiots by Thomas Erikson 9. Knife by Jo Nesbo 10. The Girl Who Stole an Elephant by Nizrana Farook AUDIOBOOKS (FICTION AND NON FICTION) 1. Not A Diet Book by James Smith 2. Hell Bay by Kate Rhodes 3. Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker 4. Found by Erin Kinsley 5. The Woman I Was Before by Kerry Fisher 6. The Volunteer by Jack Fairweather 7. The Terror by Dan Simmons 8. The Fear Bubble by Ant Middleton 9. How The Dead Speak by Val McDermid 10. Becoming by Michelle Obama

(Compiled by Waterstones and Audible)

Wednesday February 19 | 2020

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Life&Times

Motors

FOR EVEN MORE NEWS VISIT: timeslocalnews.co.uk

Motoring News BMW reveals new mild-hybrid diesel option for its X5 and X6 BMW has introduced a new mildhybrid diesel powertrain to its X5 and X6, dubbed ‘40d’. It’s made up of a 3.0-litre straightsix engine linked up to a 48-volt electric motor, with an eight-speed automatic gearbox. As a result, these new SUV variants boast 335bhp and 700Nm of torque, leading to a 0-60mph time of 5.3 seconds for both cars. In terms of efficiency, the X5 40d is said to be capable of up to 47.9mpg, with emissions as low as 154g/km depending on trim, while the X6 40d claims a 48.7mpg and 153g/km return. DOUBLE ECONOMY The new engine will cut idling emissions as well as fuel costs

The 48-volt motor doesn’t allow for electric-only driving in the way a conventional hybrid does – rather this ‘mild’ system works to shut the engine off earlier when coming to a stop in a bid to cut idle emissions and fuel consumption. Pricing, specifications and UK availability of the X5 and X6 40d variants have yet to be confirmed, but a 2020 Geneva Motor Show appearance for the pair next month is very possible [the show runs from March 5-15]. If that happens, you can expect to hear more on their arrival here then.

Wednesday February 19 | 2020

This week…  A new powertrain  Computer ‘chatter’  Cars to suit all rules HAZARD ALERTS From vehicles that can ‘talk’ to each other

How a £75 communications chip could transform safety A £75 computer system could help transform road safety by giving vehicles the ability to ‘talk’ to one another and warn drivers about oncoming hazards. The chip, which is being developed by connected vehicle experts Autotalks, broadcasts a vehicle’s location, direction and speed up to ten times a second. It would allow other ‘connected’ vehicles in the area to ‘talk’ to one another about potential hazards and relay this information back to the driver. All such vehicles in the area would receive the same message, with each able to analyse the amount of risk involved. The technology, known as ‘vehicle to everything’ [V2X], will also allow vehicles to interact with local infrastructure, such as traffic lights, which could

help to prevent pedestrian collisions. Autotalks’ system could cost as little as $100 (£75) to install on a new vehicle, opening up a low-cost way of theoretically reducing accident numbers. It follows on from a survey of 2,000 drivers conducted by Hyundai (whose ‘Cradle’ team have invested in Autotalks) which found that 15 per cent of people had had a near-miss in the past month. Autotalks’ Yaniv Sulkes said: “In the USA and other parts of the world, if you’re healthy, then the thing that is most likely to kill you is a car.” Communication tools can give you enough time to avoid danger. It’s expected that the first wave of the Autotalks V2X technology will be fitted in vehicles next year.

Good response to UK petrol and diesel ban A-OK! Audi Sport to have ‘right answer’ for every market AUDI SPORT says the firm will remain committed to combustion engines and hybrids, despite the UK’s recent announcement that the sale of new petrol, diesel and hybrid vehicles will be banned by 2035. Oliver Hoffmann, Managing Director of Audi Sport GmbH, said the firm will have ‘the right answer for every market’, depending on which countries require which powertrain option.

Expand Explaining further, he said: “It’s more or less a question of the market. If we have regulations to meet and some markets where the combustion engine will be forbidden, then we will go on with fully electric cars… but my opinion is that we will go on with plug-in hybrid vehicles in the future.” The firm is due to reveal its productionready, all-electric e-tron GT performance car soon. The performance arm has also worked to electrify much of its line-up, with mild-hybrid systems on cars such as the new RS 6, RS 7 and RS Q8. The line-up is only set to expand further, with Hoffmann adding that ‘we’ll have a wide range, starting with combustion engines up to fully electric cars, and everything in between’.

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Recruitment

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A B C D E F GH I J K L MNO P QR S T U VWX Y Z 8

15

22

16 25

18

15

17

3 3

25 16

19

17

19

18

25

19

24

12

23

18

3

24

14

26

24

19

26

15

18

19

14

3

23

21

14

9

19 24

23

15

19

23

2

26

5 1

7 1

6 14

19

26

18

2

19

1

8 4 6

6

5

4

3 6 1

7

5

23

22

3

26 18

15

13

17

24

24

23

19

12

22

17

1

24

18

23

10

19

15

20

K

26

12 17

22 23

25

19

24

8 8

5

Y

17

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.

9 9 3

7

2 5

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

12

26

22

1 23

24

3

8 8

24

15

15

19

22 7

21

14 19

18 23

19

11

4

17 19

26

6 8

Codeword:

3

© 2016 Syndicated Puzzles, Inc.

3

DIFFICULTY RATING:★★★✩

2

4

1 5 8 3 8 7 3 6 5 2 3

1

2

5

3

8

1 7 6 4 5

© 2016 Syndicated Puzzles

1

53

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTIONS

SUDOKU & JIGSAW SUDOKU

DIFFICULTY RATING: ★✩✩✩

CLASSIFIEDS

Life&Times

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

A H T R A UM M M C A S A N N A H I F I S L OMA U S T R O L Y M B E L I Z N T

B A N T U R

B J B O E U V R E U D O Q U O R UM U G E N O C H E T B X S L OW AMA Z E R L L S O I L T I S G E K E E P I N D E D N

Sudoku:

7 9 8 3 4 6 1 2 5

2 4 6 1 5 8 9 7 3

1 5 3 9 7 2 4 6 8

6 7 1 2 3 4 5 8 9

3 8 9 5 6 1 2 4 7

5 2 4 7 8 9 3 1 6

4 3 5 6 1 7 8 9 2

2 9 7 1 5 4 6 8 3

8 3 4 7 6 2 1 9 5

5 8 9 3 2 7 4 6 1

9 1 7 8 2 3 6 5 4

8 6 2 4 9 5 7 3 1

Jigsaw Sudoku:

9 4 1 2 7 3 8 5 6

3 5 8 6 4 9 7 1 2

1 6 2 9 8 5 3 4 7

6 7 3 5 1 8 9 2 4

7 2 6 4 9 1 5 3 8

4 1 5 8 3 6 2 7 9

© 2016 Syndicated Puzzles

FOR EVEN MORE NEWS VISIT: timeslocalnews.co.uk

Wednesday February 19 | 2020

54

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Sport

FOR EVENstories MOREto: NEWS VISIT: timeslocalnews.co.ukor newsdesk@timesoftonbridge.co.uk Please send sports newsdesk@timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk

Harriers make history as Hobbs storms to victory By Andrew Deighton ATHLETICS: BILLY HOBBS ended a 37-year wait for

the Harriers home-town club to become the first member to win the Tunbridge Wells Half Marathon on Sunday [February 16]. After the start was delayed by an hour to allow the worst of Storm Dennis to pass, Hobbs himself stormed away from the field. His victory improved upon his second place finishes of the last two years and confirmed his form ahead of the London Marathon in April. In the extremely wet conditions, his finishing time of 1hr 13min 16sec was just one minute slower than his time last year. It gave him a winning margin of more than a minute over Andrew Cumine of Belgrave Harriers (1:14.27) with Matt Chipping (1:14.46) of Tunbridge Wells finishing third. Tunbridge Wells Harriers also won the team event in the men’s race with strong support from team-mates Alex Jeffreys - who ran a personal best (PB) of 1:16.53 - in fith place and Patrick Bareham (1:18.13) sixth.

Charities In the women’s race, there was a dominant display from Helen Gaunt of Tonbridge Athletic Club, who finished in 19th place overall with a time of 1:23.44. The runner-up was Ali Farrell of Kent AC (1:30.47) with Jemma Whyman of Medway & Maidstone (1:30.54) in third place. Tonbridge AC took the women’s team race title, with Nichola Evans in fifth and Sarah Cronin in seventh backing up Gaunt’s effort. Jillian Holford was first woman Harrier home in 1:36.42, to place third in the over-45 category. She was followed closely by Hayley Larkin (1:38.49), with Rose Sawyer (1:55) also competing. Three other male harriers finished in the top 50, Mike King (1:24 in 21st), Mike Cardall (PB of 1:26.59 in 30th) and Kelvin Desmoyers-Davis (PB of 1:26.14 in 34rd) . There were also PBs for fellow Harriers Andrew Shepherd (1:34), Tom Bushell (1:44), Tom Fox (1:47), Nicholas Cole (1:51) and James Horne (1:56).

Wednesday February 19 | 2020

TOP BILLING Billy Hobbs runs through a soaking Penshurst

FIGHTING FIT Superheroes took on the challenge

HARRIERS IN A HURRY: The winning Tunbridge Wells Harriers team, (l-r) Patrick Bareham, Alex Jeffreys and Billy Hobbs

There were 999 finishers alongside hundreds of volunteers including many marshals along the route, who stood out in the stormy conditions for upwards of three hours. Three local charities, Pickering Cancer Drop-In Centre in Tunbridge Wells, The Bridge Trust homeless charity in Tonbridge and the Tunbridge Wells Counselling Centre, will benefit from all the surplus funds raised by the race, which is organised by Tunbridge Wells Harriers.

RUN THE GAUNTLET Helen Gaunt won by a distance

AMBER WARNING The runners setting off

Turner’s strike cancelled out by windy gust

Tonbridge Angels 1 Hungerford Town 1 By Jim Rowe FOOTBALL: TONBRIDGE ANGELS were relieved to play on their home turf for the first time since January 4 and come away with a point from the

bottom club in National League South. The Longmead pitch has been largely waterlogged for the last month and the heavy rain brought by Storm Dennis looked likelty to cause another postponement. The Angels were especially keen to be given the

green light to play because the rash of abandonments has meant their late-season fixture list is becoming very demanding as they bid to avoid relegation. A club spokesman said: “Great credit is due to all concerned for getting this game on in spite of the appalling weather conditions. “Both teams wanted to play the game and the referee was prepared to give it a go, and both sides did their level best to keep the crowd of 383 entertained.”

LOW BLOW Joe Turner stoops to head Angels in front

PHOTO: David Couldridge

Advantage The home side took an early lead when Joe Turner headed in Ben Greenhalgh’s corner after five minutes - with the strong wind a big factor in the goal. Josh Ajayi should have doubled the Angels’ advantage two minutes later but the ball seemed to get under his feet. It was the away side that seemed to adapt to the difficult conditions better with chances falling to Ralph Graham, Conor Lynch and Liam Ferdinand. The second period started with a superb double save by the Angels keeper Jonny Henly, but the wind was to play a big part in the equaliser for Hungerford on 50 minutes. Matt Jones took a corner for the visitors and a gust of wind suddenly diverted the ball straight

into the net. With the weather deteriorating the standard of football suffered further and the game turned into something of a lottery. With the wind in their favour Hungerford were able to do more of the attacking but genuine chances were few and far between. On 69 minutes Ferdinand’s shot along the ground had Henly scrambling across his goal but it went just wide. The closing stages saw the game become very stretched and Turner forced a fine save from Hungerford’s Patrick Ohman, but both sides had to settle for a draw. Angels manager Steve McKimm declared himself happy with a point taking into account the weather conditions. “Perhaps we should have taken more advantage in the first period with the wind at our backs but we haven’t played much competitive football recently and it showed somewhat. “I was very proud of my defenders in the second half as they really had to keep their concentration with the ball pretty much likely to go anywhere. “On another day Joe’s late effort might have gone in but it’s another point to add to our total.” The Angels, who remain second from bottom, travel to Oxford City on Saturday (February 22, kick-off 3pm).

FOR EVEN MORE NEWS VISIT: timeslocalnews.co.uk

Wednesday February 19 | 2020

TJs battle hard but fail to collect vital bonus point Tonbridge Juddians 26 Old Albanians 24

OAs finally got a foothold in the TJ half and after setting up a few phases they broke left and sniped to score a converted try under the posts. TJs reacted well but still they could not break the OA defence again and had to settle for another Robinson penalty to make it 21-7 at half-time. The second half saw OAs dominating possession but not field position and the home side drove them back to their own line. Eventually the dam broke and Ben Ashmore crashed through to score. The conversion was in

By Adam Hookway RUGBY: TONBRIDGE JUDDIANS had a chance to

reclaim top spot in National Two South as league leaders Taunton were forced to postpone their game against Esher. But TJs were unable to register the allimportant bonus point in a narrow victory, which led to Henley Hawks gaining the summit by a single point after their victory against Westcliff. With the Slade sportsground unplayable due to flooding, the game was switched to the excellent Vizards 3G at The Judd School. However, the high winds brought by Storm Dennis meant there were few chances to throw the ball around.

front of the posts but the wind blew the ball back at Robinson. The OA scrum was getting stronger and with the penalty count now in their favour the referee awarded a penalty try. Momentum was shifting quickly to the wind-assisted OAs and as they rumbled from 30 metres out to the TJ line their No 9 scampered and sniped for a converted try to make it 26-21. The lead shrunk even further as OAs slotted a penalty from halfway to leave the home side nervous and needing to keep the ball for the final 10 minutes. The collective effort and desire to keep their title challenge going preserved the slender lead as they went through an endless series of pick-and-goes. TJs now have a weekend off before they head to Westcliff on February 29 (kick-off 2.30pm).

PHOTO: Adam Hookway

OVER THE LINE TJs pack pile on the pressure for Ben Ashmore’s try

Academy learn to keep discipline RUGBY: TUNBRIDGE WELLS Academy put out a strong squad of Under-17 and 18 players for the second round of the Kent Cup against a much more experienced side in Maidstone. Wells’ confidence grew after they took the lead thanks to powerful run by Jamie Phillips and the team started to settle into the game. However, midway through the first half Wells’ poor discipline became the main focus of the game as they struggled to deal with constant infringements. Strong leadership was called for as Conrad Fletcher, the Wells captain, took his team aside and laid down the law and they went into

ON THE RUN Euan Symonds scores for Wells

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55

Wells lose focus and concede two quick goals Wycombe 3 Tunbridge Wells Men 2 By Francis Bridgeman HOCKEY: TUNBRIDGE WELLS Men returned from Bisham Abbey disappointed not to have taken at least one point from a tight, competitive game in South Premier League Division One. Wells had the better of the opening exchanges, which were inevitably cagey because of the stormy conditions in Marlow. The visitors were operating well in their new shape but they suffered an early setback when top scorer Ben Allberry was forced to retire through injury after only five minutes.

Shape

Dominant TJs played with the gale in the first half and slick close-quarter play freed up space down the left. Toby May was quickest to gather a clever kick through to score, Will Robinson somehow converting from the touchline. From the restart it was much of the same except with ball in hand as Hugo Watson covered the same flank and dotted down in the corner again for an unconverted try. TJs were dominant in the scrum and a string of penalties allowed them to kick deep into Old Albanian territory but the visitors held firm in defence. So Tonbridge opted for Robinson’s boot to add six points with two quick penalties, giving TJs an 18-0 lead after half an hour.

Sport

half-time 29-0 ahead In the second half Wells took control of their game and learned how to keep the referee’s whistle at bay and get back into the swing of scoring. A brief lapse in concentration saw their discipline slip again, which allowed Maidstone in for a try. But Wells ran in two further tries to make the final score 67-5. The try-scorers were Jamie Phillips (2), Connor Bourne (3), Ed Shepherdson (2), Innes Woodhouse, Euan Symonds, Markuss Lagunovi s and George Ireland, while Ed Shepherson kicked four conversions.

Then Wells went through a brief sticky patch where they lost some of their shape, allowing the opposition more of the ball, and Wycombe capitalised to score two goals in quick succession to lead 2-0 at the break. The second half saw Wells back to playing well and pressing hard – but Wycombe managed to grab a third goal. The visitors kept themselves in the game, however, with goals from Tom Butt and James Huntley, though they were unable to find an equaliser. Wells now face another mid-table side in Banbury at Tonbridge School on Saturday (February 22, 2.45 start). The Ladies’ game against Kings Alleyns was called off due to the weather, while the 2s and 3s had a spring break. The Royals won 4-1 at Gore Court.