Times of Tunbridge Wells 22nd May 2019

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Wednesday May 22 | 2019

OF TUNBRIDGE WELLS

Tories in free fall as rebels try to unseat new Leader

New garden town on Green Belt faces ‘large amount’ of opposition

By Richard Williams

Full details pages 4 and 5

Continued on Page 2

PHOTO: Craig Matthews

Capel is primarily Green Belt and sits right on the border of the nearby borough of Tonbridge and Malling.

TWBC say they are ‘prepared for a large amount of resistance’.

Alan McDermott, who has worked on the Local Plan in his role as Cabinet Member for Planning and Transportation, said of the proposals: “It will involve the release of green belt land. We are aware of the effect it will have on the local area, but we have to plan for the next 15 years and there are difficult decisions to be made.

“Irrespective of which party is in power we will have to build these houses. If we do not we could be in trouble and the Planning Inspectorate could build houses wherever they wanted.”

Head of Planning for TWBC, Stephen Baughen said: “If the Draft Local Plan is agreed it is a strategy that will allow the Council to meet government-imposed housing targets in the way that is considered to be the most appropriate for the borough as a whole.”

CONSERVATIVE rebels are threatening to bring down the new leader of their group on the council just a week after he was elected.

This morning [Wednesday], at the first Full Council meeting of Tunbridge Wells Borough Council [TWBC] since the local elections, councillors will formally vote for a new Leader of the Council.

As broken by the Times website last Wednesday, Cllr Alan McDermott, the former Deputy Leader under the now deposed David Jukes, was chosen as leader of the majority Conservative Group, and would be expected to take over Mr Jukes’ role as Leader of TWBC. But his appointment has not pleased all his colleagues and led instantly to the resignation of Cabinet member Cllr David Reilly, who under Jukes sat as Portfolio Holder for Finance and Governance.

He blamed Cllr McDermott’s support for the Calverley Square development—the Council’s controversial theatre and civic square project near to Calverley Grounds—for his stepping down.

In an open letter to the Times, the former Cabinet member and councillor for Pembury said: “I regret to say that, following the outcome of last night’s meeting which elected you as Leader of the Conservative Group, I must resign as a Cabinet member.”

He continued: “Our losses in the recent elections were far in excess of other Conservative council’s in Kent clearly demonstrating that our

FIELD OF DREAMS The area around Tudeley in Capel, the site of a new town

By Robert Forrester A BLUEPRINT on future house building plans is due to be unveiled today [Wednesday] and shows a new ‘town’ to be built on the outskirts of Tunbridge Wells.

An existing town is also set to double in size as the Council move to the Green Belt to satisfy their commitment to build 13,500 new homes over 15 years.

Earmarked for the mass housebuilding development is Paddock Wood, which will effectively become twice the size.

And the sleepy village of Tudeley in the parish of Capel, a mile from the border with Tonbridge and Malling, will in effect be turned into a small town.

Along with housing, the council intends building new infrastructure, schools, employment opportunities and a new A-road.

In total, the council are building 6,600 new homes in the two parishes. Around 4,000 of these will orbit the town of Paddock Wood. Its population at the last census in 2011 was 8,263 and this is expected to grow to more than 16,000 by 2036 after the development.

In Capel, 2,600 houses are being built

on agricultural land west of Tudeley, which will become what has been dubbed by central government as a ‘garden town’ with its population of a few hundred growing to more than 6,000.

The mass housebuilding project is part of Tunbridge Wells Borough Council’s [TWBC] Local Plan and is the result of central government legislation that was introduced in 2014 which insisted councils had to more than double their housebuilding efforts.

‘Irrespective of which party is in power, we will have to build these houses’ Councillor Alan McDermott

TWBC’s original Local Plan, which was drawn up in 2006 and was to last 20 years, is now obsolete, as Westminster insists the borough boosts housebuilding from 300 homes a year to nearly 700.

Some housing is already in the pipeline around the borough, such as the 250-Berkley Homes development in Hawkenbury and proposed 400 houses on the site of Hawkhurst Golf Course.

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Wednesday May 22 | 2019

founder of this week… Tory leader rebel threat Former failed bond’s firm BEST LAID PLANS? New Local Plan includes big changes for Paddock Wood and Green Belt pg 4-5

SHOWCASING SHAKESPEARE Theatre company’s Kickstarter campaign hits its target to perform the Bard’s work pg 13

REACHING FOR THE TOP How Duke of Edinburgh scheme inspired student to do 3 Peaks Challenge for charity pg 21

WE’LL DRINK TO THAT Celebrate English Wine Week with our top viticulture picks from the UK pg 51 CONTACTS EDITORIAL DIRECTOR RICHARD MOORE richard@timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk | 01892 779615 DEPUTY EDITOR EILEEN LEAHY eileen@timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk | 01892 576037 CHIEF REPORTER RICHARD WILLIAMS richardwilliams@timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk | 01892 240626 DESIGN/PRODUCTION LEE SMITH lsmith8@markerstudy.com SALES ENQUIRIES GHak@onemediauk.co.uk | 01892 779650 FIND US ONLINE facebook.com/timeslocalnews timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk twitter.com/timeslocalnews

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CLARIFICATIONS AND CORRECTIONS HERE at the Times of Tonbridge 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.

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has assets frozen

Continued from page 1 unpopularity cannot just be ascribed to the failure to deliver Brexit.”

He added: “Your proposed leadership model delivers the message that ‘nothing has changed’ and that you are not prepared to listen.

“I cannot support this ‘direction of travel’ and believe that it will ultimately lead to the HOPEFUL destruction of the Conservatives in Tunbridge Opposition leader Wells.”

Ben Chapelard It is believed that Culverden Councillor David Scott has been chosen as his replacement in the Reilly are among seven Tory rebels thinking of abstaining today, leaving the Council on a knife cabinet. edge.

Last week saw councillors Barrington-King, Sean The Council has 28 Conservative councillors and Holden and Joe Simmons unsuccessfully try for the Conservative leadership but they were all defeated 20 opposition members so if eight or more Tories choose not to vote—it is highly unlikely any will

by Cllr McDermott. risk the wrath of the Conservative Association and Cllr Reilly later told the Times he had supported vote against Cllr McDermott—it would throw the Pembury borough and county councillor Paul council into disarray.

Barrington-King’s leadership bid and was ‘not If this does happen, it is expected Ben certain’ whether he would vote for the new Tory Chapelard, leader of the Liberal Democrats could leader in today’s Full Council meeting. attempt to take control of the Council with the Cllr Barrington-King added: “It was my intention backing of a rainbow coalition made up of Liberal to give opposition councillors key posts in Democrats, abstaining Tory rebels, Tunbridge committees or even Cabinet so we could work Wells Alliance and Labour Party councillors. together to get past this impasse. This didactic A spokesman for the Liberal Democrats said approach does not work.” current Conservative strategy for the He said that he believed the best borough was ‘flawed’. compromise deal was to put the theatre He said: “Investing taxpayers’ money to project on the ‘back burner’ but press compete with London and international ahead with the civic centre and office leisure facilities is a folly. When Tunbridge space.

Wells residents want access to world-class “The Council officers need a decent facilities they travel to London, the south place to work,” he said. “And we can also coast or continental Europe.” still build the offices because we can make He added that the Liberal Democrats money from the office space, but the want Tunbridge Wells to be a theatre is a luxury.” vibrant, modern, resourceful, He refused to say whether he accessible and self-sufficient would vote to ratify Cllr community with a clear McDermott as leader in identity. today’s Full Council meeting Read Cllr Reilly’s full or choose to abstain. resignation letter on However, it is believed Cllr RESIGNED: Cllr David Reilly page 20 Barrington-King and David

Hadlow College enters ‘uncharted territory’ as first in administration

By Andy Tong HADLOW COLLEGE has become the first college in the country to apply to be placed in educational administration.

The move comes as the Hadlow Group, which runs the agricultural school and West Kent, is being investigated by the Further Education [FE] Commissioner over allegations of financial irregularities.

The probe was launched following the resignation of principal Paul Hannan and his deputy Mark Lumsdon-Taylor earlier this year.

Education Secretary Damian Hinds made the application at the request of the college, and a court will now decide whether to approve it.

Tom Tugendhat, the MP for Tonbridge & Malling, described the situation as ‘uncharted territory’ and has called for the officials to ensure that ‘students are protected’.

He has worked closely with the Department for Education and FE Commissioner Richard Atkins to establish the best way out of financial difficulty with as little impact on staff and students as possible.

Mr Tugendhat said: “I’ve been deeply concerned by the accounts I have been hearing about the way public money has been used, and have asked the Skills Minister to keep a very careful record as the investigation goes on.

“Hadlow College is a really important part of the local community and I am keen to see the rights of students protected.”

Probe He said he had ‘spent a considerable amount of time with the previous leadership trying to get more funding for the group. It’s important to know where this has been spent’.

He added: “The law has been changed recently to ensure the needs of the students come before any creditors. “I am particularly reassured that this law is now in place.

“In January, a new insolvency regime for Further Education colleges was introduced, so there is an orderly process in place for managing financial difficulties where a college enters administration.

“Clearly this isn’t an outcome any college wants. But the scale of the financial mess is so deep and unheard of nationally that special circumstances have to be considered.”

The FE Commissioner’s probe follows an inquiry by the Education and Skills Funding Agency [ESFA] into money paid to the group for apprenticeship schemes.

The Hadlow Group’s schools have around 10,000 students, and the ESFA dispute that it was entitled to millions of pounds.

Repaying the money could further damage the group’s finances.

The FE Commissioner is expected to make an announcement about the future of the Hadlow Group on June 14.

Mr Tugendhat observed that while the students are a priority, local businesses are also affected by the parlous state of the group’s finances.

And he pointed out that while the college has 300 acres of land around the village, this should not be disposed of in the same way that car parks were sold to developers at West Kent in order to raise funds for the group.

By Richard Williams THE Serious Fraud Office [SFO] has frozen the assets belonging to Tunbridge Wells’ businessman and former chairman of the local Conservative Party, Simon Hume-Kendall.

In total more than £12million of property has been frozen by the fraud squad under Section 41 of the Proceeds of Crime Act, belonging to either Hume-Kendall or three of his associates—all linked to the collapse of failed Tunbridge Wells’ bond firm, London Capital & Finance [LCF].

It is believed Hume-Kendall, Hadlow Down based Elten Barker, Spencer Golding from Crowborough, and LCF director Andy Thomson, who also lives in Kent, were slapped with the restraint orders at a hearing in London last week, which prevents the men or their families from selling any of the assets.

Properties While it is not known on what basis the SFO obtained the restraint order, but courts only impose them where there is ‘reasonable cause’ people have been profiting from criminal actions.

Earlier this year, the fraud squad arrested four men in connection with the collapse of LCF, but have so officially named who they were until charges are laid.

Among the restraint orders are five properties belonging to Golding in East Sussex, valued in excess of £6 million, including a stud farm valued at £2.4million, as well as the Home Farm Equestrian Centre in Crowborough, bought using a mortgage in the name of Hume-Kendall.

One of Simon Hume-Kendall’s properties, a £2.5 million flat in Belgravia’s Eaton Place, also has an SFO restraint order on it but the house he shares with his wife in Pembury, and their large home in Bewl are both in her name—and there is no suggestion Helen Kendall-Hume has committed any wrongdoing.

Barker’s property in Crowborough, East Sussex also has a restraint order on it.

All four men were named by administrators, Smith & Williamson, as being implicated in suspicious transactions following the collapse of the Eridge Park-based LCF, which has left more than 11,500 investors, many of them retirees, being owed a total of £237million.

COURT ORDER: Simon Hume-Kendall with his wife

Wednesday May 22 | 2019

NEWS IN BRIEF

Man arrested for ad banner attacks in town PLAIN clothes police have arrested a man following the alleged vandalism of banners and posters advertising various events in the town.

As reported in the Times over the last few weeks, a mystery vandal has been slashing and cutting down banners around Tunbridge Wells.

Now, police say a 56-year-old man from Tunbridge Wells was arrested last Thursday evening while walking towards Jazz on the Pantiles, the crowded weekly live music event, after they received reports of criminal damage in progress opposite the train station.

The man was picked up at around 8.15pm by officers who found a Stanley knife in his coat pocket. He was arrested on suspicion of causing criminal damage, possessing a knife in a public place and theft, but has since been released pending further investigations.

Parties rally for EU vote VOTERS across the UK go to the polls yet again tomorrow (Thursday), as 28 countries across the European Union elect 751 members of the European parliament.

As Britain failed to leave the European Union in March, UK voters are being asked to cast their ballot, although if Brexit does go ahead, the UK’s 73 seats will be redistributed to other states and the parliament reduced.

Many are expecting the European Elections to turn into a protest vote at Britain not having left the European Union with pro-Brexit parties dominating the polls.

In the South East, Nigel Farage will be standing for his newly-formed Brexit Party, but all major political parties, along with a number of newly formed groups are submitting candidates, including Change UK, the party formed by discontented pro-EU Labour and Conservative MPs.

Eighth Angel Fest TONBRIDGE Angels Football Club holds its eighth annual music festival this weekend at The Marquee in Longmead Stadium.

With guest DJs, live ‘music through the ages’, a range of food outlets, and plenty of family entertainment, organisers say it will be Tonbridge’s ‘biggest beer and music festival’. The event begins this Friday, May 24 at 4pm and ends on Sunday at 10pm.

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Aqua Park opens this weekend WITH temperatures expecting to soar above 21 degrees this Bank Holiday weekend, hundreds of guests are expecting to cool off at Kent’s newest water attraction.

Bewl Water Aqua Park opens this Saturday, May 25, and has received more than a thousand prebookings so far.

The giant ‘Total Wipeout’ style floating obstacle course features a range of inflatable attractions, as Andrew Daniells, Chief Operating Officer of Bewl Water, explains: “The Bewl Water Aqua Park is an impressive 1,500 sq meters of floating inflatable fun with an XXL action tower, bridge, flip mattress, cliff, monkey bars, aqua slide, dome, roundabout, half-pipe, hurdles and much more.”

He said that since it was the opening this weekend, all guests on the first day will receive a complimentary gift bag filled with Aqua Park goodies.

He added that Bewl Water Aqua Park will operate with timed sessions throughout the day, and before guests can join in the water fun, there will be a ten minute briefing from the safety team before sessions get underway.

Children must be aged eight plus and be more than 1.2 metres tall (3.9 feet). All customers must be able to swim at least 50 metres (164 feet)

unaided and wear a providedbuoyancy vest.

“Our amazing reception and lifeguard team look forward to welcoming you to the Aqua Park village to fit your wet suit and buoyancy vest then they’ll lead you onto our floating Aqua Park for 50 minutes of fun,” continued Mr Daniells.

Visitors get free parking and there are facilities

for both female and male changing including locker space for valuables.

“Numbers for each session are limited and tickets are selling fast,” added Mr Daniells, saying tickets cost £20 per person including wetsuits and buoyancy aid. Bookings can be made via the Aqua Park website: bewlwateraquapark.co.uk

Four years for man who killed brother after Christmas party

By Andy Tong andy@timesoftonbridge.co.uk A MAN from Tunbridge Wells who killed his brother by repeatedly punching him has been sentenced to four years in prison after pleading guilty to manslaughter.

Carl Eldred of Langton Green was travelling in a taxi with his brother at around 10.40pm on December 28 after a family night out.

They were returning home with their father Trevor and three friends, having been out drinking in two pubs in West Malling.

During an argument on the journey home he struck his brother Lee several times as the minicab went past the Hadlow Manor Hotel on the A26.

The driver stopped the taxi and one of the other passengers gave first aid to Lee, who was unresponsive.

The South East Coast Ambulance Service arrived and continued treatment until the 36-year-old, a bricklayer from Tonbridge, was CARL ELDRED pronounced dead.

Police arrested Carl at the scene and charged him with murder the following day.

Appearing at Maidstone Crown Court on April 5, he pleaded guilty to manslaughter after the charge was changed.

The 34-year-old, who runs a panel-beating business in Plaxtol, was sentenced at the same court on Friday [May 17].

Tragic He punched his brother three times in the back of the neck, and the court heard that one of the blows may have severed an artery in Lee’s neck, leading to bleeding on the brain.

Lee was described by family and friends as kind, caring and sensible.

Judge Adele Williams said: “This is a truly tragic case. No one is suggesting that you killed him deliberately.”

She added: “Both of you had had a considerable quantity to drink and in the minibus you were laughing and joking.”

The father tried to stop the argument but Carl struck him in the face after getting angry ‘out of nowhere’, the court heard. Carl said: “Oh my god what have I done? I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”

Judge Williams said the quantity of alcohol he had consumed had ‘swept away his inhibitions’.

“It then unleashed this violence, which was out of character. You punched your brother, not once but several times while he was not in position to

defend himself while he was drunk.

“Your actions have had devastating consequences, although I accept that you expressed immediate and sincere remorse.”

DI Matt Banks of Kent & Essex Serious Crime Directorate said it was a ‘tragic’ event.

He said: “This should serve as a reminder to anybody involved in an argument that the use of physical force should always be avoided.

“It could result in significant harm for a victim and a considerable prison sentence for those responsible.”

TORMENT OF A MOTHER A letter written by the mother of Carl and Lee, Carina Eldred, was read out in court.

She also has two younger sons.

“Carl and Lee shared the strongest bond between the boys. They did everything together. They really were close.

“It was a purely natural and loving relationship. Unfortunately they had an argument which will change our lives forever.

“I don’t want to write this letter. I don’t want to be a mother who has lost a son.

“I know justice has to be done but there are no winners in my family.

“I know Lee will not want Carl to be punished.

Carl will be punishing himself enough. We need Carl as much as he needs us.”

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Wednesday May 22 | 2019

Considerable expansion of Paddock Wood is Tunbridge Wells’ answer to housing crisis

By Richard Williams PADDOCK WOOD is set to get much bigger as Tunbridge Wells Borough Council [TWBC] has unveiled its bold plans to address the nationwide housing crisis and sets out its local planning policies for the next fifteen years.

The mass housing development will see 4,000 new homes ‘orbiting’ the existing town and stretching all the way to the A228 in the west, down to the border with Brenchley in the south, and to the border with Tonbridge and Malling in the north.

Along with doubling the existing size of the town, the council also plan to ‘rejuvenate’ Paddock Wood town centre, ‘expand considerably’ Mascalls Academy, and build a new primary school.

In addition, the council say they have a ‘masterplan for employment’ which will include commercial premises, retail units, and other employ-

ment opportunities in Paddock Wood to accommodate the burgeoning town.

The Draft Local Plan also includes infrastructure such as roads, transport links, and GP surgeries, as well as flood mitigation for Paddock Wood, which is prone to flooding due to its proximity to the Medway.

Steve Baughen, Head of Planning at TWBC said: “The masterplan approach to the strategic sites means development being planned in a comprehensive way, ensuring that adequate roads and transport, schools, medical facilities, leisure, employment and business opportunities are provided as well as housing, including affordable housing.”

He said the council is also promising to create a ‘transport triangle’ between Tunbridge Wells, Paddock Wood, Tudeley and Tonbridge, which includes a new A228, which will connect the island after the Hop Farm with a link to Tudeley before connecting with the A21 further south.

© Google Maps

But not everybody will be happy with the plans.

Labour Councillor Ray Moon who sits on Paddock Wood Town Council who have been kept abreast of the plans, said before any new homes are built, the borough council needed to sort out the infrastructure first.

Sceptical

SMALL TOWN Paddock Wood is to double in size

He said: “We all know there is a need for new homes for families and children but there should be no houses put in Paddock Wood until the infrastructure is in place.”

He said in particular, the ailing sewerage system needs a complete upgrade as it cannot handle the town’s existing population, which results in foul water flooding of several locations.

While the Council has promised these changes, Cllr Moon remains sceptical.

“Paddock Wood has been a dumping ground over the years and is used to take up the borough’s housing quotas but the infrastructure like the sewerage system hasn’t been touched. Words are easy but actions are better than words.”

The Council has denied that all the housing is being dumped away from the area around Tunbridge Wells town centre.

They said while there will be some ‘sporadic’ developments in other areas of the borough, but there is ‘no scope’ to enhance the existing infrastructure around the town.

At the last census the number of people living in the borough of Tunbridge Wells was around 104,000 and the latest estimation in 2017 was that the population had increased to around 118,000.

But the Council estimate by 2036 more than 131,000 will be living within the borough’s boundaries an increase of more than 25 per cent.

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Wednesday May 22 | 2019

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‘Tudeley Garden Village’ OLD TOWN NEW TOWN

paddock wood

tunbridge wells

LOOPHOLES TO BE CLOSED IN DRIVE FOR SOCIAL HOUSING A CRITICISM of any major housebuilding drive, especially in the South East, is the lack of affordable housing.

Council planners persistently come up against developers using ‘loopholes’ in planning regulations to reduce their obligation to provide affordable homes.

In addition, land values mean any property built in the borough is rarely considered ‘affordable’ by most people’s standards.

“Houses in Tunbridge Wells are not affordable with starting prices of £400,000, so what is needed is a full review of social housing policy,” admitted Cllr Alan McDermott.

He continued: “We are looking to housing

associations to provide around 35 per cent social housing, which have 60 per cent of market rental value.”

The councillor added that they were also going to close the existing loopholes that developers use to get out of building affordable houses.

While developers are required by local authorities to provide a proportion of affordable homes in any development, many use ‘viability assesments’, essentially over paying for land to reduce profit margins, which they then use as an argument to cut down on the number of affordable homes they have to build.

ALONG with the expansion of Paddock Wood, the tiny village of Tudeley is to be dramatically expanded with more than 2,000 new homes being planned by the council.

Situated in the parish of Capel, Tudeley is a sleepy hamlet, known for All Saints’ Church, the only church in the world that has all its windows in stained glass designed by Russian-French modernist, Marc Chagall.

However, the settlement is to become what Central Government has referred to as a ‘garden village’ or ‘garden town’, boosting the population in excess of 5,000, as 2,600 homes are built around Tudeley.

Along with the houses, the council have planned for a new primary school in Capel, and if KCC agree to build one, a new secondary school too.

They say the development has been ‘holistically planned’, and that all of the proposed new homes will be built on existing agricultural greenbelt, which all belongs to single landowner, Hadlow Estate Properties.

However, building on greenbelt is always controversial, and not everybody is happy about the proposed scheme to turn a sleepy village into a garden town by developing agricultural land.

Current Chairman of Capel Parish Council, Hugh Patterson, says the creation of a Tude-

ley Garden Village will ‘change it beyond all recognition’ and that it represents an ‘existential threat to the way of life in Capel’.

Resistance “It is not even a village now, just a hamlet with a few random settlements. This will completely transform Tudeley. The view and the landscape will be lost forever.”

He said that he believed the decision to expand Tudeley was most likely a ‘political one’ but that the residents and parish councillors were ‘uniformly opposed to the proposals’.

“They had a choice to build along the A21 corridor but I think this is the easiest choice as there is just one landowner to deal with.”

He added that he expected the people of Tudeley and Capel to be ‘deeply unhappy’ about the plan and will resist any attempts to turn the village into a new town.

“I expect local people and the parish councillors will make their objections known to the Planning Inspectorate.

“I am hoping to create a working part and put forward a case to overturn this decision,” he said.

Steve Baughem from TWBC, admitted that they expected a ‘large amount of resistance’ to the Local Plan.

He said: “It is in draft form and I hope that when it is published in full everyone across the borough will look at it and make sure they give their comments and feedback through the consultation process.”

THE WAY WE WERE How Tudeley looks now

TIMESCALE AND CONSULTATION THE Council’s Draft Local Plan has to be put to the people in a period of consultation.

From September 1 until November 1, members of the public of not just Tunbridge Wells, but also Tonbridge & Malling, as well as developers and other interested parties will be able to comment on the Local Plan and make suggestions or objections.

After the consultation period, the Council will make any necessary amendments and develop a Final Local Plan. This too will go out for to consultation in August and September of next year.

Finally, the Local Plan will be submitted to the Planning Inspector in December 2020 who will

get the final say.

Cllr McDermott explained: “The Planning Inspector will either accept it as it is, or make small modifications or make sizeable modifications, in which case we will have to make changes and consult with the people again.

“He may even say the plan is terrible and reject it. The Planning Inspector has the power to overrule the council and put houses where he decides.”

He added that would also occur if the Council did not submit a plan by December 2020.

“It could take five years before we start digging,” he admitted.

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Wednesday May 22 | 2019

Judges have made their decisions for the 2019 Times Business Awards THE votes have been cast and our panel of expert judges have made their final decision as to who has won this year’s coveted Times Business Awards.

With a little over a week to go until the 2019 Times Business Awards gala dinner, around forty businesses from in and around Tunbridge Wells, Tonbridge and Sevenoaks are waiting to find out if they have won.

Last week, judges sat down to review the shortlisted entries whittled down from around 150 entries to this year’s awards, a job made even more difficult by

the quality and depth of talent on offer by the many local businesses that have put themselves forward.

Entrepreneurial Jo James, Chief Executive of Kent Invicta Chamber of Commerce, who sat on the judging panel and had the unenviable task of choosing this year’s winners in the ten categories on offer, said: “It was pleasing to see such an increase in the number of businesses taking part in this year’s awards.

Times LOCAL NEWSPAPERS

2019

JUDGES: [L-R] Richard Moore [One Media], Darren Austin [Synergee], Jo James [Invicta], Tracy Moore, Eileen Sweeney [Markerstudy] and James Priory [Head Teacher at Tonbridge School]

“The standard of applicants was very high, just going to prove what innovative and entrepreneurial businesses we have in the area,” continued Ms James.

While the decision has been made, all the finalists will have to wait until next week’s gala award dinner at Salomon’s estate, hosted by Strictly legend Anton du Beke, to find out if they will be taking home the title of 2019 Times Business Awards winner.

For finalists that have not yet booked their tickets, sadly, tables for the black tie dinner on May 30 is completely sold out.

However, there are still some standing tickets available for the balcony at the Salomons Victorian Theatre, where guests can see the awards, enjoy drinks and bar snacks before coming downstairs to take listen to the live music and dance till midnight.

Standing tickets will cost £30 per person and are available from info@ timesbusinessawards.co.uk or you can simply call award’s organiser, Eileen Sweeney, on 01892 779 583.

A touch of magic at this year’s awards GUESTS at this year’s awards should be prepared to be amazed as illusionist and local magician, Orion, will be there to entertain guests as they arrive at Salomons Theatre.

Orion, real name Patrick Sweeney, has been a magician since a child when he was a member of the Junior Magic Circle.

The 22-year-old who is from Sevenoaks said: “My act is a bit like Dynamo’s. Guests at this year’s Times Business Awards can expect to see a little sleight of hand, a few card tricks, some general illusions, mind magic as well as a dash of levitation.”

Orion is only part of an entertainment-packed night, which also includes music by chart topper Olly Murs’ former band, Funk2K, who will encourage guests to dance the night away.

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Metro’s woes continue

By Richard Williams METRO BANK continues to struggle, with the high street lender looking to secure millions of pounds in additional investment in the coming weeks following its troubles over the last few months.

Withdrawals

Mini dealership completes move to Tunbridge Wells THE Mini dealership in Tonbridge has closed, with a new showroom opening in Tunbridge Wells last week.

Inchcape, the owner of the dealership, has moved the showroom from Five Oak Green Road in Tonbridge to Longfield Road in Tunbridge Wells to be closer to the company’s other existing franchises.

Located next to Inchcape BMW and Motorrad, the new premises has the full Mini range, plus more than 50 approved used cars.

The site also boasts state-of-the-art aftersales facilities, a customer coffee lounge and improved parking.

Clive McGregor, Head of Business for Cooper Inchcape Mini Tunbridge Wells, said: “Our friendly and knowledgeable team are ready to welcome customers to our stylish new centre.

The investment means customers can experience the best of Mini in sophisticated surroundings.”

It is the second big dealership to move to Longfield Road in recent months.

In November, Cambria opened a new Lambourghini showroom on the industrial estate.

The troubles at the challenger bank, which has a prominent position in Tunbridge Wells town centre, began in February, when Metro announced it would need to bolster its finances after miscalculating the size of the assets it had to secure against losses.

Since the news of the error broke, shares in the bank have plummeted by 80 per cent, and it has become one of the most shorted companies

on the London Stock Exchange.

It also narrowly avoided a run on one of its London branches last week after a hoax message on social media led to hundreds of customers panicking and demanding withdrawals.

While individual investors’ deposits are protected by an industry-wide scheme up to a value of £85,000, business customers don’t enjoy the same protection, and many analysts have expressed doubts about the bank’s long-term sustainability.

Metro recently received £120million from an RBS fund earmarked to provide greater competition in the banking market.

Metro Bank currently has 66 branches in England, and although it had plans to grow these to around 200, it is doubtful it will be opening any new outlets in the near future.

NEWS IN BRIEF

More legal advice from Kent is the place to Thomas Mansfield be say businesses

South East R&D tax claims rise by 39%

LAWYERS Thomas Mansfield have announced the creation of a new private client department to provide advice on tax, trusts, powers of attorney, wills, Court of Protection and probate.

The Tunbridge Wells law firm say their rapid expansion into family law means they now need a department to provide inheritance planning advice.

The new department will be run by Toby Fountaine, the former Head of Private Clients at Parfitt Cresswell.

He said: “Planning for your beneficiaries might be seen as a bit morbid, but it shouldn’t be. A little planning will go a long way to ensure the beneficiaries of your estate receive their inheritance rather than the taxman.”

BUSINESSES across the South East submitted more than 6,000 tax relief claims for research and development [R&D], according to HMRC. According to tax office data, there has been a 39 per cent rise in claims over the previous year.

In total, businesses across the South East submitted 6,300 R&D claims in 2016-17, claiming £660million in tax relief. Compared to the previous reported year, this amounts to a 16 per cent rise in R&D tax claims.

However, James Tetley, National Head of R&D at audit, tax and consulting services firm RSM, which has an office in Tunbridge Wells, warned that some sectors were not taking full advantage of the R&D tax relief scheme.

He said: “While this is very encouraging, there are some sectors – construction in particular – where the numbers of claims are negligible, despite the likelihood that many are involved in R&D activity.

“The fact is, there could be many businesses across the South East that are undertaking R&D work but are missing out on the R&D tax credit payments to which they are entitled.”

READY FOR PRIVATE CLIENTS Toby Fountaine [left] with Managing Partner Neill Thomas

COMPANIES operating in Kent would overwhelmingly recommend the county as the place to do business, according to research by a local solicitors.

Warners Solicitors, who have offices in two West Kent locations, undertook the research at the recent Sevenoaks Business Show to uncover businesses’ attitudes to operating in Kent.

They say, encouragingly, that 95 per cent of businesses would recommend the county as a place to operate.

Disruption When it comes to the current challenges facing businesses in the county, 72 per cent of respondents pinpointed Brexit and ongoing economic uncertainty as the biggest issues they are facing.

Recruiting and retaining employees with the right skills also emerged as a problem, with 85 per cent claiming they find it either ‘somewhat’ or ‘very’ challenging.

Kirsty Humphrey, Marketing Manager at Warners Solicitors, said: “As a Kent-based organisation, with offices in Tonbridge and Sevenoaks, we know first-hand what a vibrant and supportive place it is to operate a business.

“It is great to see this view echoed by other West Kent organisations from across a range of industries.

“We also recognise that many organisations are experiencing disruption in the face of economic uncertainty and skills shortages.

“We regularly work with clients in Kent and beyond, offering them innovative and expert legal solutions to navigate their way through challenging times.”

James Tetley

Wednesday May 22 | 2019

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Wednesday May 22 | 2019

THE NEXT STEP Runners gather to bid farewell to Joe Watts (standing in purple top)

Emotions running high as parkrun organiser reaches the finish line

By Andy Tong THE Royal Tunbridge Wells parkrun celebrated its 250th edition on Saturday [May 18], covering 218,820km since it was set up by Joe Watts in 2014.

Joe has now decided to stand down as event director of the weekly 5km run in Dunorlan Park.

Now 35, he was inspired to take up running after the London Olympics in 2012. He took part in Orpington’s parkrun to start with, then turned up for the inaugural event in Tonbridge.

He joined Tonbridge Athletic Club to work on his distances, then volunteered to get the RTW version up and running – the first was on April 26, 2014.

“My main aim in setting up the event was to inspire others to get involved in running, the same way in which I was inspired by London 2012,” he said.

Although parkrun is non-competitive, it’s a timed run with participants trying to achieve personal bests. Joe’s PB for the RTW parkrun was 18min 35sec in July 2017 – though his all-time best was 18.06 in Hastings.

Exactly 100 athletes set new marks in his last race on March 30, when a record 331 runners gathered to thank him for his services.

The social aspect is an important part of parkrun, and Joe explained: “The greatest satisfaction is getting to meet and volunteer with other individuals from a variety of different backgrounds who, without parkrun, I would never have had the pleasure of engaging with.”

The role has also had knock-on benefits in his professional life. He said: “I have learned a lot from my time as event director, and feel that the role has allowed me to grow as a person and apply my knowledge, experience and leadership skills to my employed role.”

Joe works as a VAT consultant for Berthold & Bauer in Edenbridge – and has now qualified as a personal trainer, too.

Having seen how many people want to take up running, he has also started his own group in Southborough called RTW Runners rtwrunners.co.uk With organisations of all types struggling to recruit volunteers, parkrun has been a remarkable

success story both locally and across the country.

An average of 175 runners take part each weekend, with up to 30 people giving up their Saturday mornings to act as marshals and perform other roles.

“I think it’s been so successful because it is so accessible to all ages and abilities,” said Joe. “The fact that anyone from any background can participate and volunteer in the event at no cost is a huge positive.

“I’m sure this is one of the main reasons why parkrun has grown so quickly over its short tenure.”

Dunorlan is an iconic venue for parkrun with its stunning backdrop, while still being close to the town centre.

‘The location is great, it’s so tranquil. You wouldn’t think there is a busy, bustling town centre less than a mile away’ “I like how it changes through the seasons, and how no two consecutive weeks are ever the same in terms of weather conditions and how the park looks,” said Joe. “Also, the location of the park is great – it’s near the middle of Tunbridge Wells but is so tranquil – you wouldn’t think that there is a busy, bustling town centre less than a mile away.”

Joe has competed in parkruns all over the UK, but lists his favourite as Mount Edgcumbe in Cornwall – ‘it’s one of the hilliest available but it’s set in such a beautiful location’.

Internationally, he enjoyed Crissy Field in San Francisco, ‘which has the Golden Gate bridge for a backdrop on the way out and Alcatraz in the distance on the return leg’. He adds: “It’s also one of the flattest courses that I have run!”

Joe has decided to step down because of extra commitments he has taken on. He said: “I feel that now is the right time for someone else to take on the role to breathe new life into the event and continue to take it forward.”

RUNNING TOTALS: ROYAL TUNBRIDGE WELLS PARKRUN REACHES 250 Total number of runners: 6,878 Number of runs: 44,076 Number of first finishers: 215 Number of clubs: 467 Number of personal bests: 7,535 Average number of runners per week: 176.3 Average number of runs per runner: 6.4 Biggest attendance: 387 Average run time: 29min 17sec Total time run: 2 years 166 days 18hrs 43min 14sec Total distance run: 220,380km

Female record-holder: Nicole Taylor 17min 48sec July 21 2018 Male record-holder: William Levett 16min 12sec April 8 2017 Age graded record-holder: Cath Wheeler 86.98% 21min 23sec, Sept 15 2018) Age grading takes your time and uses the world record time for your gender and age to produce a percentage score.

This allows runners to compare their personal performance against other people of a different age and gender.

Wednesday May 22 | 2019

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Think pretty – and find a positive body image LAST week saw a campaign of Mental Health Awareness around the country, with this year’s theme being positive body image.

Here, Ian Blunt, a life coach who has set up Life Change Guide in Tonbridge, gives his advice on how to avoid being too critical about the way you look.

“The world today seems to be a constant rat race for fame and attentiongrabbing social media. We want followers, likes and comments.

You will often hear a conversation that contains the phrase ‘she got 10,000 likes on that photo’.

This then sets the ‘amazing bar’ at 10,000, meaning that if you were to post something and it received 500 likes – which might be more realistic given that you live in a smaller social circle – you might feel you are only five per cent as great as the person you desire to emulate.

Most of these pictures are based on image – a new bikini or a muscle shot at the gym. These leave a social snail trail of physical attraction, and the

FIVE STEPS TO FEELING BETTER ABOUT YOURSELF 1 Write down six things you like about yourself – three physical and three non-physical 2 Decide on one small change you can make that will make you happy, like a new hairstyle, wearing a new colour, or whitening your teeth 3 Think more carefully about your clothing choices – avoid too many dark colours. Maybe wear a bright top with dark trousers 4 Make a promise to be more positive about yourself, and start to recognise when you think negatively 5 Listen more carefully to the people around you – overly critical friends need to go, and highly opinionated family need to be spoken to

less likes you get, the less attractive you are.

We all have parts of ourselves that we would like to change, alter or enhance – this is just part of the way we think.

However, we tend not to look at these through the appropriate lens.

Rather than look at bettering ourselves, we see it as taking us one step closer to being like someone else.

PLEASE YOURSELF Body image is a hot topic in the era of social media

Distress And physical ‘imperfections’ can create the most painful mental distress. ‘I don’t like that about myself’ becomes ‘I am not good enough’ and ‘no one will love me’.

It is crucial that you begin to train your mind to think positively about your body and how you look – you need to start to ‘think pretty’.

Don’t decide your body changes based on someone else’s standards.

Look at yourself and think about a better version of you, according to your own standards.

If you would like to lose weight, then

do so. If you want blonde hair because that’s what you like, then do it.

It is vital for your mental health that you are physically happy. No one is perfect – the ones who seem so are fake.

It is so important that you become

more comfortable in your body. If you are happy, then what others think won’t matter.”

For more information, search for Life Change Guide on Facebook or visit lcguide on Instagram

ellenor ‘delighted by wonderful gift’ after trust donates hospice’s land

PAVING THE WAY: A commemorative plaque is unveiled by Linda Trew, Director of Income Generation at ellenor, Colyer-Fergusson trustee Roger Wedderburn-Day and Chief Executive Jacqueline Rae, Chairman of Trustees Nicholas Fisher, and Vikki Harding, ellenor’s Chief Executive

THE ellenor hospice has been gifted the land on which its building sits in Northfleet by the Colyer-Fergusson Trust as the latter celebrates its half-century.

The trust first offered the site to the Lions Club in 1991 as a suitable location on which to place the hospice in Gravesend, at a peppercorn rent.

Thanks to that initial support, ellenor was able to be built, opening its doors to care for terminally ill adults and to support their families.

Since those early days the hospice has grown, and ellenor last year provided hospice care to 2,874 local babies, children and adults facing terminal illness, in the home and at the hospice.

The trust was set up by Sir James ColyerFergusson, whose family estate included Ightham Mote, to provide grants for a wide variety of projects across Kent.

It was established to tackle socioeconomic issues, from helping individual young people looking for employment to

funding multi-million pound community developments.

Vikki Harding, the charity’s new interim Chief Executive, said: “Colyer-Fergusson have always been there, a quiet, valued supporter in the background.

“So when we heard that as part of their 50th anniversary celebrations they wanted to sign the land over to ellenor, we were surprised and delighted. What a wonderful gift!”

Expand She added: “The demand for our hospice care is growing. Our population is increasing and people are living longer, often with complex or multiple needs.

“To meet the growing demand we need to look to expand our services and build for the future.

“With the land being gifted to us, it will enable us to grow and develop the site in confidence, knowing we are rooted,

secure in our foundations in Northfleet.”

Of the trust she said: “It has been a wonderful partnership over the years and we have been so grateful for all the support they have given.”

Ms Harding is ellenor’s Director of Care, having joined the charity last July from the North-East London NHS Trust, where she was an Assistant Director.

She has been a registered nurse for 35 years, specialising as a respiratory nurse consultant in the holistic care of patients with lung diseases.

She said: “It is an honour and a privilege to lead such a fantastic team of skilled professionals, and together we will continue to work hard to deliver the very best care and support to patients and their families in Kent.”

Roger Wedderburn-Day, Chair of ellenor’s trustees, said: “Vikki will provide us with leadership continuity during this busy and exciting period for the charity.”

Wednesday May 22 | 2019

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New theatre company Kickstarts Shakespeare with the ‘Scottish Play’

By Richard Williams SHAKESPEARE’S Macbeth is to be performed in Tunbridge Wells after a theatre company hit its fundraising target.

The Shakespeare Project, the brainchild of theatre veteran and film actor, Peter Basham, aims to bring traditional performances of Shakespeare to Tunbridge Wells.

In order to bring his Shakespearean ambitions to light, Mr Basham and acting colleague Laurence Taylor, started an online Kickstarter, which hit its £7,500 goal earlier this month.

Passion “Creating a new theatre company has a lot of costs attached so we needed to get a head start to ensure we could start to pay for things such as costumes, venue hire and of course paying for our professional actors,” explained Mr Basham.

The actor has appeared in a range of high profile TV shows including The Promise, Sherlock, Agatha Raisin, Berlin Station, as well as a number of Hollywood blockbusters including Skyfall and Inception, but says he has never lost his passion for the bard.

“Shakespeare has been a passion of mine since I studied at drama school and I want to share that passion not just with regular theatre goers, but also people that perhaps have not experienced much Shakespeare before,” continued Mr Basham.

He said starting with a run of Macbeth to be performed at Salomons Victorian Theatre in

November he wants to provide the people of Tunbridge Wells with ‘a lasting legacy of quality classical theatre’ and bring Shakespeare to a new audience.

“When I approached the folks at Salomons they were really excited with the prospect of this space being utilised for the local community.

“At the Shakespeare Project, our company mission is to be the best professional Shakespeare company in the South East, we want to reach the widest possible audience and leave a lasting legacy of quality classical theatre for the people of Tunbridge Wells.”

He said Macbeth was the ideal starting point for the new theatre company as it had a simple story with easy to understand themes.

“When you examine it, it is very similar to something like Breaking Bad,” he said, referring to the US hit TV show. “It is eerily dramatic but starts off with a good character that slowly turns to evil. It is very accessible.”

He said that their actors and creatives come from prestigious institutions such as The Royal Shakespeare Company, London’s Globe and The National Theatre.

He added: “We are very excited to announce that our inaugural production will be directed

by Joseph Pitcher (RSC Associate Director) and it will be opening on November, 5, 2019 and running until November 24.”

Tickets cost £25 and theatre-goers can book via the Shakespeare Project’s Box Office at www.theshakespeareproject.co.uk

BEHIND THE SCENES Shakespeare Project’s Peter Basham (left) and Laurence Taylor

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Time to fix Parliament before visitors injured ONLY luck prevented people being seriously injured or even killed by falling masonry in the Palace of Westminster, according to Commons Leader Andrea Leadsom.

She urged MPs to support the Parliamentary Buildings (Restoration and Renewal) Bill, which seeks to establish the necessary bodies to oversee and deliver the restoration and renewal of the Unesco World Heritage Site. Up to £6billion has been planned for the work.

Mrs Leadsom highlighted three ‘significant’ incidents of falling masonry in recent times, including one at the door to Westminster Hall, which is used by thousands of visitors.

She added that there are round-the-clock fire patrols because there have been 66 fire incidents in the palace since 2008, and warned that House authorities are managing ‘far too many serious risks at great risk to the taxpayer’.

Being Prime Minister is ‘not a reality TV show’ DEFENCE minister Tobias Ellwood has said some of his colleagues ‘toying’ with entering the looming Tory leadership race need to take the post of Prime Minister more seriously.

He added that talk about the leadership contest is a ‘little bit self-indulgent and parochial’ given the need to resolve the Brexit deadlock.

Mr Ellwood told a meeting in Westminster: “No, I’m not standing. Absolutely not. I do not have the experience. I don’t have the rank.

“And I wish some of my colleagues, with humility, would take the post a little bit more seriously. This is not a reality TV show.

“Ambition is good. It allows us to elevate ourselves and reach higher levels. But ambition on its own is purely selfish and trying to promote the individual.”

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Wednesday May 22 | 2019

May’s new deal offers MPs second referendum option LAST CHANCE Theresa May has seen her deal rejected three times

NEWS IN BRIEF

Garden birds flock in as feeding products grow FEEDING birds in gardens has boosted their populations over the past 40 years, according to research by the British Trust for Ornithology.

Providing a growing number of feeders and different types of food has also increased the variety of species.

The feeding industry is now estimated to be worth up to £300million a year in Britain, with half of British homeowners putting out bespoke products rather than scraps from the kitchen.

Thatcher minister dies

MPS WILL be given the opportunity to vote on whether to hold a second referendum on Britain’s membership of the European Union, Theresa May has announced.

The Prime Minister said the vote would be contained in the Withdrawal Agreement Bill, as she warned that a failure to reach a consensus on Brexit would lead to a ‘nightmare future of permanently polarised politics’.

Speaking in central London, Mrs May outlined how her ‘new Brexit deal’ differs to the previous three that were rejected by Parliament – including a commitment in law to let Parliament decide on the customs issue.

She said: “I recognise the genuine and sincere strength of feeling across the House on this important issue.

“The Government will therefore include in the Withdrawal Agreement Bill at introduction a requirement to vote on whether to hold a second

referendum and this must take place before the Withdrawal Agreement can be ratified.”

Mrs May also told the audience at PWC in London that the Government would introduce a new Workers’ Rights Bill to ‘ensure UK workers enjoy rights that are every bit as good as, or better than, those provided for by EU rules.

“And we will discuss further amendments with trade unions and businesses.”

She described the proposal as ‘one last chance’ but leading Conservative Brexit MP Jacob Rees-Mogg dismissed the revised deal as ‘worse than before’.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said he would not support the bill and could not see how it would get through Parliament.

He said: “It’s basically a rehash of what was discussed before and it doesn’t make any fundamental moves on market alignment or the customs union or indeed protection of rights.”

THE death of Tory former minister Lord Moore of Lower Marsh has been announced.

John Moore, 81, held several Cabinet posts during Margaret Thatcher’s administration in the 1980s.

These included Secretary of State for Transport and Social Security.

The MP for Croydon Central from 1974-92 was seen as a possible leadership contender and successor to Mrs Thatcher.

Becker auction back on TROPHIES and memorabilia from Boris Becker’s tennis career will be sold in June after the first planned auction was blocked by the three-time Wimbledon champion.

The 82-lot collection was initially advertised last year after the German star, 51, was declared bankrupt, but the sale in June was initially halted when he claimed diplomatic immunity.

Wyles Hardy & Co will now run a timed auction from June 24 to July 11.

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Wednesday May 22 | 2019

Inflation likely to rise after energy cap hikes INFLATION is expected to have jumped higher in April as an increase in the energy price cap came into effect.

Consensus estimates predict that Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures will reveal the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) rate of inflation was up to 2.2 per cent last month.

Higher fuel and food prices are also expected to have helped push the rate higher than March, when it held steady at 1.9 per cent.

The rise will put the rate slightly above the Bank of England’s 2 per cent inflation target.

Energy prices are set to be the main upward factor for April’s rate, after sector regulator Ofgem increased its cap on standard variable energy tariffs by 10.3 per cent and its safeguard tariff by 9.3 per cent.

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FEELING THE HEAT Jamie Oliver put £13million into his Italian venture

£84k donations to put railways back on track

Jamie Oliver’s restaurants fail making 1,000 staff redundant

THE chairman of a model railway club said he has been ‘overwhelmed’ by donations after an exhibition was wrecked by vandals.

More than £84,000 has been raised after stands were overturned and layouts were destroyed at a school in Stamford, Lincolnshire, on Saturday [May 18], where the Market Deeping Model Railway Club was holding its annual show.

Pop legend Sir Rod Stewart, a long-standing model rail enthusiast, donated £10,000 to the club after hearing about the incident.

Club chairman Peter Davies said the damage has left some members ‘emotionally destroyed’, with some parts of the exhibits taking more than 25 years to build.

Four youths were arrested but have since been released on conditional police bail pending further inquiries.

JAMIE OLIVER said he is ‘devastated’ after his restaurant chains collapsed into administration, making around 1,000 staff members redundant.

Administrators KPMG have closed 22 of the celebrity chef’s 25 restaurants, after investment could not be secured to keep them trading.

The business, which includes Jamie’s Italian, Barbecoa and Fifteen, confirmed the closure of all its sites excluding its two Jamie’s Italian restaurants and Jamie’s Diner at Gatwick Airport.

The TV personality took to Twitter to thank those who ‘put their hearts and souls into this business over the years’.

In an official statement, the chef added: “We launched Jamie’s Italian in 2008 with the intention of positively disrupting mid-market dining in the UK high street, with great value and much higher quality ingredients, best-in-class animal welfare standards and an amazing team who

shared my passion for great food and service.

And we did exactly that.”

Mr Oliver offered £4million to support a lastminute search for funds, but with ‘no investment forthcoming’ and in light of difficult trading conditions, the firm appointed the administrators.

Around 1,300 people are estimated to work for the UK business in total.

Will Wright, partner at KPMG and joint administrator, said: “Unfortunately, with insufficient funds available to be able to trade the business in administration, all but the Gatwick airport restaurants have now closed.

“Our priority ... is to work with those employees who have been made redundant, providing any support and assistance they need.”

The move follows a hunt for a new investor for Jamie’s Italian brand after he pumped £13million of his own money into it.

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Pioneer female news reader dies aged 93 NAN WINTON has been hailed as a ‘trailblazer’ for women in the media after she died aged 93.

She broke new ground as the first woman to read the news on the BBC in 1960.

The experienced journalist was handed the role as an experiment, following the decision by rival broadcaster ITN to appoint Barbara Mandell as a newsreader in 1955.

But she was removed by the BBC a short while later due to audience research concluding that it was ‘not acceptable’ for a woman to read the late news.

Corbyn says nationalise British Steel to save it LABOUR leader Jeremy Corbyn has urged the government to nationalise British Steel in order to protect jobs and the industry.

British Steel is said to be close to entering for administration and is seeking financial backing.

The UK’s second-biggest steel-maker, whose main plant is in Scunthorpe, wants £75million to help it to address ‘Brexit-related issues’.

It is claimed that failure to deliver the funding would put 5,000 jobs at risk – as well as a further 20,000 in the supply chain.

“The government must act to take a public stake in the company to secure the long term future of the steelworks and protect peoples’ livelihoods and communities,” said Mr Corbyn.

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Wednesday May 22 | 2019

Nationwide profits fall by a fifth as it tries to upgrade technology NATIONWIDE Building Society has seen annual profits tumble by almost a fifth after taking a £227million hit on its technology assets and increasing spending on IT. The mutual reported a 19 per cent drop in underlying pre-tax profits to £788million for the year to April 4 – its third straight year of falling annual earnings.

Write-offs It said profits were impacted by a £227million charge for technology asset write-offs and its IT investment programme, following its announcement last year to spend £1.3billion over five years.

On a statutory basis, pre-tax profits fell to £833million from £977million the previous year.

Joe Garner, chief executive of Nationwide, said it took the profit knock to put member interests first, but delivered above-target financial benefits to its membership base of £705million.

He said: “We also announced a significant

boost in our technology investment over five years to ensure we continue to excel on service.

“These were conscious decisions we were able to make as a building society.

“As we expected, they have had an impact on profits in the short term, but these choices are in the long-term interests of our members.”

The lending giant said it expects the housing market to remain ‘fairly subdued’, but strengthen once the wider economy picks up after Brexit.

Member savings deposits increased to £6billion from £3.5billion. But the group’s net interest margin – a key performance measure for retail banks – fell to 1.22 per cent due to ‘sustained market competition’ and fewer borrowers on the standard variable rate.

Nationwide, which has about 650 branches, is committed to spending £350million over five years to ensure its branches remain relevant to the needs of people, from high-definition video and iPads to creating areas where members can chat, read a newspaper or have a coffee.

Majestic attracts interest from buyers MAJESTIC WINE has confirmed that a number of potential buyers are interested in its retail business, after it started a sale process last month.

It is rumoured to be on the market for £100million, including its commercial operations.

In March the group rebranded as Naked Wines, the name of its online business, which has grown rapidly since it was acquired by Majestic in 2015.

As part of the move the chain said it was considering store closures. It later confirmed one option would be selling off the whole business.

Yesterday [Tuesday] Majestic said it was still reviewing all operations and there was no

certainty that any sale would proceed.

It is understood that potential buyers include OpCapita, the former owner of Comet, as well as a US investor and a turnaround fund.

Analysts at Liberum said the successful sale of Majestic’s retail arm would be positive for the remaining group, given the success of Naked Wines.

“We have always been fans of the group and always thought it undervalued, and we continue to do so,” they said.

Liberum values the unit at between £110million and £130million but said anything from £75million and £100million should be seriously considered.

LOT OF BOTTLE Majestic’s branch in Southborough

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Builder sheds 350 jobs

Tesco ends new lending

UP TO 350 jobs are being lost at builder Galliford Try amid an overhaul of its underpressure construction business.

These relate largely to the firm’s decision late last month to close its Scottish infrastructure division as it looks to reduce and refocus the construction business on building, water and highways.

The shake-up – which follows a review launched by new chief executive Graham Prothero – will see the construction division’s annual sales drop to around £1.3billion.

But it will also deliver yearly cost savings of up to £15million.

TESCO Bank is to sell off its mortgage portfolio after halting new lending, in a move which could affect more than 23,000 customers.

The bank announced yesterday [Tuesday] that it had ceased new mortgage lending and was actively exploring options to sell its existing portfolio, which has total lending balances of £3.7billion.

Chief executive Gerry Mallon blamed recent challenging market conditions and said the move was part of a strategic decision to ‘focus on serving a broader range of customers in more specific areas’.

Pork exports growing BRITISH pork giant Cranswick has reported a surge in exports after African swine fever decimated pig herds in Asia.

Exports in China and the Far East surged 16 per cent as prices were also driven higher by the epidemic in what is the world’s biggest pork market.

The firm said the effects of the disease could continue for ‘more than three years’.

But it expects pricing to stabilise over the coming months.

Topps Tiles take a fall PROFITS have fallen at Topps Tiles after the retailer took a hit from property costs and its commercial business.

Profit before tax declined by 18.8 per cent to £5.2million in the 26 weeks to March 30. But group revenue was broadly stable at £110.3million.

Topps Tiles said its performance in the first half was ‘resilient’ in the face of a challenging consumer backdrop.

Adjusted pre-tax profits increased 11.1 per cent to £8million.

Wednesday May 22 | 2019

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Local business supports soapbox race Two local charities, Taylor Made Dreams and Hospice in the Weald, will benefit from much-needed funds raised by the competitors in this year’s Crazy Jean’s Soapbox Race, sponsored by local company Childrensalon

TICKETS are now on sale for the fun, family event where 45 soapbox karts will go headto-head on a nail-biting racetrack through Dunorlan Park, where the competitors will raise thousands for two charities which provide valuable services to the community.

Childrensalon, the Tunbridge Wells-based luxury childrenswear company, agreed to be the main sponsor for 2019 after its team took part in the inaugural wacky races last year.

Childrensalon is a multi-award-winning online outlet that employs more than 400 people in its head office.

With a ‘people first’ approach to business, which is also reflected in its charitable work in the local community, the company was ‘delighted’ to lend its support to this event, whose competitors are raising money for Pembury’s Hospice in the Weald and Crowborough’s Taylor Made Dreams.

Denise Hamilton of Childrensalon said: “After all the fun the team had racing in last year’s event to support charities Hospice in the Weald and ellenor, we decided to sponsor the event this year, and are very proud to be racing for the charity Taylor Made Dreams.”

Thousands of spectators are expected at the

annual event, where teams made up of local businesses, organisations and residents will go head to head in ‘pimped-up’ soapbox karts down a track with hair-raising chicanes and jumps.

TV chef Rosemary Shrager is returning to host the event alongside star commentator Tom Swift of Wicked Productions.

Trackside activities will include a huge kids zone sporting an inflatable village, crazy golf and mini football activities, as well as a food and drinks village and VIP area.

Taylor Made Dreams is a charity which enables children with life-limiting illnesses to achieve their dreams and wishes.

It was set up in the memory of Taylor Mitchell, who sadly lost his battle against a terminal condition in 2011, aged just 15.

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A fund was set up called ‘Taylors Bucket of Wishes Association’ by two family friends, which enabled Taylor to tick off his own ‘Bucket List’.

Eight years on, the charity continues to enable children with life limiting illnesses to achieve their dreams when time is, sadly, all too short, while also providing therapeutic support to families on their difficult journey.

The other charity that will benefit of this event is Hospice in the Weald, which has been serving communities in West Kent and northern East Sussex for almost 40 years.

It provides outstanding free-of-charge hospice care through an extensive range of services, including a Hospice Day Service, In-Patient Ward, Counselling and Support Services and Hospice in the Home.

Supported by the community it serves, the hospice needs £7million to run each year, and relies on the generosity of the public to help.

Fundraising events are integral in helping to fund the vital services it provides.

For more information, tickets and sponsorship opportunities for the Crazy Jean’s Soapbox Race, please visit crazyjeansevents.com For more information on the charities, visit taylormadedreams.net & hospiceintheweald.org.uk

A RACING START Childrensalon’s kart last year

20

NEWS

Letters

FOR EVEN MORE NEWS VISIT: timeslocalnews.co.uk

Wednesday May 22 | 2019

And another thing…

This is the page where you, the reader, have your chance to express your views or comments on what’s going on in our part of the world. We like to hear from you. You can email us at newsdesk@timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk or newsdesk@timesoftonbridge.co.uk or write to the Editor, Times Local News, Salomons Estate, Tunbridge Wells TN3 0TG Saying ‘nothing has changed’ is not the way to save Calverley Square An open letter to the new Leader of Tunbridge Wells Borough Council, Alan McDermott: I regret to say that, following the outcome of last night’s meeting which elected you as Leader of the Conservative Group, I must resign as a Cabinet member.

Our losses in the recent elections were far in excess of other Conservative councils in Kent, clearly demonstrating that our unpopularity cannot just be ascribed to the failure to deliver Brexit. The Tunbridge Wells electorate has made it clear that they want the current style of leadership to change.

Going forward they want a leadership model built on agreement and shared understanding underpinned by a strong code of ethics, as the Conservatives have traditionally delivered.

They want a council that encourages debate of the issues and scrutiny of its operations. None of these things are unreasonable.

The results should have taught us that, at a time of rapid change in local government, with pressures created by austerity measures and the growing wave of commercialisation, a different attitude towards the electorate and the opposition is required. A more collaborative approach towards the opposition would deliver

a strong message that this council is not only prepared to listen but also to change what is clearly not working. This approach COULD save the Calverley Square project.

This will not happen if our raison d’être is to solely get the Calverley Square project over the line at all costs and irrespective of local opinion. Your proposed leadership model delivers the message that ‘nothing has changed’ and that you are not prepared to listen. Furthermore, the lack of a transparent project management process scrutinised by elected members will inevitably lead to the FAILURE and cancellation of the project.

I cannot support this ‘direction of travel’ and believe that it will ultimately lead to the destruction of the Conservatives in Tunbridge Wells. You must therefore find a Portfolio Holder for Finance & Governance who is supportive of your position.

From the back benches I shall continue to support the council and to work hard for my Pembury residents as well as standing up for Conservative values.

Yours sincerely David Reilly Conservative councillor for Pembury ward

LEADERSHIP MODEL Artist’s impression of the Calverley Square project

idea. So all the time those with regressive views hold court, the rest of us have to sit back and watch our fine town fall deeper into decline.

It’s a sad day for democracy and an even sadder day for Tunbridge Wells.

Mark Casady Tunbridge Wells

They pay the price for not listening Hard-working; dedicated; admirable; assured; confident; commanding; unswerving – and dead, or indifferent, to the electorate. A description of Mrs May, perhaps? Of course, to a T, but also ex-councillor Jukes, who chose not to listen to those that said his vanity project should not proceed. He paid the price, so will she.

John Ward Moorhouse Tunbridge Wells

A little humility will go a long way I detected a whiff of sour grapes in your interviews with some of the losing local election candidates. They blamed Brexit, they blamed central government, and one failed candidate complained that the opposition had ‘a wellstructured strategy’. Erm… shouldn’t all parties have a well-structured strategy in an election?

What they don’t seem to realise is that many voters perceive the Conservatives on our councils as arrogant, entitled, complacent, and unwilling to listen to alternative views.

In Paddock Wood we saw them overrule a poll against the development on Memorial Field.

In Tunbridge Wells, David Jukes, Tracy Moore and their allies persisted with the hugely expensive Town Hall vanity project in the face of enormous public outrage.

And in Tonbridge, the all-Tory cabinet – backed up by a bunch of yes-men and women – continues with plans to sell off our assets – in the case of the Teen and Twenty club, at a loss of nearly £700,000 – and to permit development of swathes of green belt.

If the Conservatives can learn some humility (and provided that their party survives the coming months), maybe they’ll attract a few more votes next time round?

Paul Stepto Tonbridge

PR vote means alliances won’t work Where will new Leader take us?

It is unclear whether the new Leader of Tunbridge Wells’ Conservatives wants to stop the Calverley Square project or continue as though the elections never happened.

The question today [Wednesday] is whether he will get support from the 48 borough councillors to become Leader of Tunbridge Wells Borough Council. Until we know his position on Calverley Square, it is difficult to predict the answer.

Nick Pope Tunbridge Wells Alliance councillor, Park ward

Pouring £10million down the drain How predictable that after a disastrous local election it looks like the Conservative group will chicken out of supporting the Calverley Square development. Pouring £10million down the drain for no return.

In addition, how much will we pay to renovate the ailing Town Hall complex?

These councillors should stand up to the NIMBYs and have the courage of their convictions and invest in the future of this town.

One councillor even suggests a referendum;

well whatever the result, we can rely on all of our major political parties to ignore it whilst talking about it for the next three years and pouring more of our money down that same drain. Sound familiar?

One last plea: Can the Tunbridge Wells Alliance please provide an article in your paper explaining their vision for the town, how much it will cost, and how they will ensure it is delivered?

David Clarke Tunbridge Wells

Tide of populism will hold us back So the tide of populism rises in the borough of Tunbridge Wells – leading to chaos, fear and inevitable paralysis.

Our council is in disarray. Councillors were reluctant to put themselves forward for the vacant Leader’s post for fear of reprisals, particularly if they are supporters of the Calverley Square civic project.

This despite the Government-appointed Inspector handing down a massive thumbs-up to the scheme.

One councillor has suggested a referendum on the matter; I think we all know the futility of that

There has been much social media debate over whether the Remain parties should form an alliance for the upcoming EU elections, in order to combat Mr Farage and his ilk.

If you want unbiased advice, I’d suggest looking at compassonline.org.uk – which basically says vote for the party with the manifesto that you identify with, i.e. if you want green policies vote Green.

They also say focusing on Brexit will turn the election into a proxy referendum, and with this being a proportional representation vote, alliances will not achieve anything.

Seven of Change UK’s MPs voted for airport expansion, their environment spokeswoman is a fan of fracking, so I wouldn’t look to them for green policies.

The Greens currently have three MEPs to the LibDems’ one, including one in the South East, Keith Taylor, an MEP since 2010.

Keith has been a strong advocate for disability inclusiveness in all EU policies, and champions animal rights, pushing for the end of crossborder livestock transportation, which hopefully will come into law soon.

Keith isn’t standing this time around, the Greens’ lead candidate is Alexandra Phillips. Alex is currently Deputy Mayor of Brighton & Hove.

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

The Greens’ candidates are touring the South East in, as you would expect, an electric bus.

The candidates will be spending time in Tunbridge Wells on Wednesday May 22 from 11am, and from 12.30pm in Tonbridge.

I’d advise everyone who wants to know what the Greens are standing for to come along and have a chat with the candidates.

Trevor Bisdee Chair, Tunbridge Wells Green Party

Leavers more determined than ever One can only assume that Alexander Magnus was attempting irony [May 15]. May I point him in the direction of YouGov’s poll showing that in the upcoming European elections 62 per cent of voters who voted for the Conservative Party in the 2017 General Election now intend to vote for the Brexit Party.

A further 3 per cent intend to vote for Ukip and 20 per cent will retain their vote with the Conservatives. So that’s two thirds of former Conservative voters now voting for no-deal Brexit parties (Brexit Party, Ukip), and a further fifth voting for a party whose manifesto commits it to leaving the Single Market and Customs Union (Conservatives).

Rather than concluding that ‘People have doubtless realised that the fantasy Brexit conditions expounded to them in 2016 are just that – fantasy – and that any version of Brexit in whatever form will be hugely disadvantageous other than for some preposterously ambitious and totally unsuitable Conservative politicians and their rich friends’, I put it to Alexander that Leave voters are more determined than ever to leave on whatever basis restores control of the UK’s laws, money and borders – now highly likely to be on World Trade Organisation terms.

Further to that, a large number of Remain voters are democrats and so acknowledge that the UK needs to leave the EU, again via whatever mechanism possible, as evidenced by the same YouGov poll showing that one in six 2017 Labour voters now intend to vote for either the Brexit Party or Ukip.

Chris Turner-Hart Tunbridge Wells

Don’t miss this second referendum The forthcoming European elections are a second referendum in all but name. Regardless of persuasion and a general weariness about the entire political debate, people really should take this opportunity and vote.

Richard Heath Tunbridge Wells

Fly-tipping clear-up will cost more What is Kent County Council thinking, bringing in charges for taking various things to the tip?

All that will happen is there will be more fly-tipping, and surely that will be more expensive than the extra income obtained from these charges?

Rosemary Delmonte Via email

Keep your distance from metrics Given that we measure UK road distances in miles, I was disappointed to see an article saying ‘Lawyers raise more than £15,000 by cycling from London to Paris’ [May 15], using kilometres rather than the unit we all know and love.

Please would you consider using miles in future articles rather than the metric equivalent favoured by our continental cousins?

Dave Sanders Via email

Calverley is away preparing for the festival season

EDUCATION

Times

Student aims for the top all in the name of charity

Former Skinners Kent Academy and Bennett Memorial pupil Ben Powell explains why doing the Duke of Edinburgh scheme has given him the confidence to do the 3 Peaks Challenge this summer I DECIDED to do the 3 Peaks Challenge, which is to summit the highest peaks in Scotland, England and Wales within 24hours, to raise money for the Children’s Society.

After travelling to Glasgow, I’ll climb Ben Nevis on the afternoon of July 2, then Scafell Pike before breakfast on July 3, then Snowdon at around lunchtime. I’ll be doing the challenge with a group of students from Loughborough University Rag team who are also raising money for the Children’s Society.

I developed a love of hiking at a young age in the French Alps and have always wanted do something epic like this.

Doing the Duke of Edinburgh (D of E) scheme while I was at school has without doubt given me the confidence to take on this big challenge. Enrolling in the D of E programme gives you many skills that you can take forward in life. It helps students experience something they might enjoy that they’d never experienced before. It also develops you in different but important areas like social and teamwork skills and helps you to understand the

Education

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Wednesday May 22 | 2019

importance of public service and also commitment.

I recently completed my Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award which involved a four day hike and camping in the Peak District with training in the Brecon Beacons and the New Forest. All of this has helped contribute to my training for the 3 Peaks Challenge. I recently received my Gold D of E certificate from St James’s Palace and got to meet Prince Edward!

HIGH ACHIEVER Ben Powell

Doing something like the 3 Peaks for charity is also a great opportunity to do service for your community, to raise awareness and your understanding of those who are in need. It’s a great personal achievement too.

My training for the challenge has been fairly moderate so far as I’ve been working hard on my course at university but I’ll be stepping up the training after my exams in June. I have however managed to fit in a few for long walks carrying weights and done some high altitude training in the French Alps over the Easter holidays.

Initially I had a target of £600 to raise but I’m pleased to say I’ve now reached that - but I’ll always be grateful of any additional donations as the Children’s Society is such a great charity helping disadvantaged children across the country.

I feel very passionate about this charity which provides local services to help disadvantaged young people who don’t feel safe, loved or able to cope. I’m grateful to everyone who has sponsored me including Buss Murton Law. justgiving.com/fundraising/benpowell18

NEWS

21

Exploring pupils’ sense of well-being ROSE HILL SCHOOL has just come to the end of its second Wellness Week, where pupils, parents and staff looked at the benefits of caring for their mind body and soul. The school partnered with Tunbridge Wells-based Wellness HQ who have been delivering sessions throughout the week on the six pillars of wellbeing. In addition, there have been sessions on self-belief, managing exam stress, mindfulness, green spaces, nutrition and internet safety.

Students have also been making the most of the 15 acres of outdoor space with a wilderness walk and tree climbing with local firm Canopy who helped fifty students get 40ft up one of the school’s tallest trees.

One of the highlights to the week

has been the screening of the film Embrace with an introduction by local mum and coach, Action Woman AKA Emma Jefferys.

The documentary looks at and challenges how women feel about their bodies and champions the Body Positive movement.

Highlight Rose Hill Head Emma Neville said “Wow. This is the second time we have run this week and on each occasion the whole school community has come together to think about what wellness means to us. For me the highlight has been tree climbing, what a view from up there! Thank you to everyone who has been involved.”

GROUP EFFORT Rose Hill pupils take part in Wellness Week

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NEWS

Weekly Comment

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Tom Tugendhat MP for Tonbridge & Malling

Wednesday May 22 | 2019

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 was elected Chair of Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee in July 2017.

Hadlow College will stay open as it goes into educational administration HADLOW COLLEGE makes a huge contribution not just to the village, but to Tonbridge and the wider Kent economy. Not only that, but they provide an education like no other in the country.

Their reputation and skill as one of the leading agricultural colleges draws students from all over, who go on to fill some of the important roles in our farms and food industry. That matters to Kent and the whole of the UK. Hadlow College has been part of our community for almost 50 years, and in recent years I had been delighted to help secure millions of pounds investment for them to ensure that they retained their unique and proud status.

So, hearing that the College was in deep financial trouble was a nasty surprise.

For a place with so much and so many relying on it, the immediate dangers are all too apparent.

That is why I started talking to the Department for Education and Further Education Commissioner to make sure we could find a route forward to protect staff and students.

This is sadly an unprecedented situation and

not an easy one to solve.

It may well be that the College needs to go into educational administration, the first of its kind in the country.

Thankfully, only four months ago we changed

‘It’s most likely that the college will go into Educational Administration and whilst this may be complex, it will mean the College stays open’ the law so that the needs of the students come before any creditors.

I am glad that this law is now in place so they are protected.

Clearly, no College wants to be in this position, but the scale of the financial mess is so deep and unheard of nationally that without intervention to allow the college to sort itself out and restart,

the college could fail.

It’s most likely that the college will go into Educational Administration and whilst this may be complex, it will mean the College stays open.

If the application is approved, an administrator is appointed so current courses will continue, while a longer-term solution is established to protect Further Education across Kent.

That should protect staff as well as students.

Ultimately, my thoughts are with staff, students and all those who work at the College.

The uncertainty is leaving us all, including me, concerned. Hadlow Group and all of its associate colleges and schools are one of the biggest contributors to our local economy.

Many of us will know someone who has been taught, or is learning at, one of the sites.

Many people are employed locally, and hundreds of businesses have connections with the Group.

It’s crucial the Department for Education’s guidance is followed rigorously to protect staff and students.

STRUGGLING Hadlow College is in ‘deep financial trouble’

Wednesday May 22 | 2019

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Move Times

AVAILABLE EVER Y WEDNESDAY – A MUST-READ

ULTIMATE GUIDE TO PROPERTY, IN TERIORS & TOP TRENDS

INSPIRATION FOR MOVING AND IMPROVING timeslocalnews.co.uk

The fruits of life in the orangery of a grand mansion Page 25

Classic Gough Cooper semi

at a great price

Page 25

24

ENCHANTING CORN MILL KITCHEN

25

FINE DINING AT A FOLLY HILL BARN

Handy for the High Street New apartments Page 35

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A COTTAGE FOR EQUESTRIANS

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Wednesday May 22 | 2019

Best property buys for...

The Corn Mill

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

GUIDE PRICE

Ide Hill Road, Four Elms Nr Edenbridge

£995,000 CONTACT • Savills, Sevenoaks • 01732 789700 • savills.co.uk A stunning, historic converted corn mill believed to date from the 1650s and full of character features – such as the mill cog and pole still in the kitchen. It also boasts superb views over the adjoining mill pond and countryside, while still being close to the centre of the village.

MAIN POINTS OF INTEREST

n Extended and refurbished mill n Period features include timbers, brick walls, tiled flooring and arched windows n Arched porch leading to entrance hall n Superb kitchen/dining/family room with a circular marble breakfast table encircling a pillar with mechanisms from the mill, plus a Rangemaster oven, skylight windows and double doors to the garden n Part-vaulted first floor sitting room with brick fireplace plus wide bi-fold doors to a decked area with views over the pond n Triple-aspect master bedroom with en-suite n 2 further double bedrooms n Jack and Jill’ shower room n External timber home office n Delightful landscaped gardens with terraces, stream and 2 sheds n Sweeping drive and parking area n In total, about 0.6 of an acre

The KITCHEN…

Wednesday May 22 | 2019

The DINING HALL…

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The PRICE…

14 Handel Walk Tonbridge

£395,000 CONTACT • Barnes Kingsnorth, Tonbridge • 01732 771616 • bkestateagents.com

Well priced, classic Gough Cooper semidetached home close to Woodlands Primary.

MAIN POINTS OF INTEREST

n Through sitting/dining room with feature open fireplace and door to garden n Fitted kitchen n 3 bedrooms, bathroom, & separate WC n Folding ladder to loft/hobbies room n Detached garage and driveway parking n South-facing garden with patio and lawn

Folly Hill Farm Barn Folly Hill, Cranbrook

GUIDE PRICE

£1,375,000 CONTACT • Knight Frank, Tunbridge Wells • 01892 515035 • knightfrank.co.uk An 18th-century barn and 19th-century apple store have been carefully combined to make a fascinating family home, with elements of modern living combined with period features.

Sitting on high, it also offers spectacular, farreaching rural views.

MAIN POINTS OF INTEREST

n Entrance hall with impressive staircase n Reception/dining hall with door to garden n Kitchen/breakfast room with door to garden n Drawing room with doors to garden n Sitting room and separate study

The Georgian

4 Ide Hill Hall, Phillippines Shaw, Ide Hill, Nr Sevenoaks

Guide price £595,000 (share of freehold)

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

A split-level ground floor apartment converted from the old orangery in this fabulous Grade II-listed mansion house.

n Master bedroom with en-suite bathroom and dressing room

MAIN POINTS OF INTEREST

n 4 further bedrooms (2 with en-suite showers)

n Sitting/dining room with doors to terrace

n Family bathroom

n Handcrafted kitchen with breakfast bar

n Wiring for TV/ media systems

n Master bedroom with en-suite shower

n Gardens with 2 paved terraces

n 2 further double bedrooms and bathroom

n Integral double garage and off-road parking

n Private garden and communal parkland

n Cranbrook School catchment area

n Driveway with electric wrought iron gates

n Staplehurst station 3.5 miles

n Garage and allocated parking space

Connecting people & property, perfectly.

Penshurst TN11

Groombridge TN3

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Attached Grade II listed period farmhouse in an idyllic setting.

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Views over countryside Swimming pool In approximately 5.3 acres

An extremely spacious self-build property in the heart of this popular village.

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Guide price £1,395,000 Freehold

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Guide price £1,100,000 Freehold

simon.biddulph@knightfrank.com

01892 310997

Brenchley TN12

ross.davies@knightfrank.com

01892 310997

Brenchley TN12

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Beautifully refurbished family house in the heart of the village.

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Triple aspect sitting room 31 ft open plan kitchen/dining room Integral garage

Swimming pool and tennis court Large walled garden Detached double garage

A most attractive Grade II listed barn with spectacular views.

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Open plan, vaulted living space Village approximately 0.6 miles away In approximately 1.57 acres

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Guide price £1,695,000 Freehold simon.biddulph@knightfrank.com

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Guide price £975,000 Freehold 01892 310997

simon.biddulph@knightfrank.com

01892 310997

knightfrank.co.uk Connecting people & property, perfectly.

All potential tenants should be advised that, as well as rent and the deposit, an administration fee of £288 and referencing fees of £48 per person will apply when renting a property (if not an AST). (All fees shown are inclusive of VAT.) If the landlord agrees to you having a pet, you may be required to pay a higher deposit (if not an AST) or higher weekly rent (if an AST). Please ask us for more information about other fees that will apply or visit www. knightfrank.co.uk/tenantfees.

Connecting people & property, perfectly.

Culverden Park Road TN4 An elegant double-fronted detached Victorian house in a sought-after and central position.

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Elegantly modernised and upgraded With original features Mainline station approximately 0.9 miles

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Your local expert, Ross Davies, looks forward to helping you. ross.davies@knightfrank.com 01892 310997

Guide price £925,000 Freehold

Forest Road TN2 A substantial detached 1920s house of over 3,000 sq ft, offering scope to further improve.

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Summer house Garage Approximately 1 mile to Mainline station

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Your local expert, Ross Davies, looks forward to helping you. ross.davies@knightfrank.com

Guide price £1,175,000 Freehold

01892 310997

knightfrank.co.uk Connecting people & property, perfectly.

All potential tenants should be advised that, as well as rent and the deposit, an administration fee of £288 and referencing fees of £48 per person will apply when renting a property (if not an AST). (All fees shown are inclusive of VAT.) If the landlord agrees to you having a pet, you may be required to pay a higher deposit (if not an AST) or higher weekly rent (if an AST). Please ask us for more information about other fees that will apply or visit www. knightfrank.co.uk/tenantfees.

Wednesday May 22 | 2019

FOR EVEN MORE NEWS VISIT: timeslocalnews.co.uk Rushlye

‘Living in the countryside is fabulous, but I can also be in my office in London in just over an hour’ CURRENT OWNER

Cottages

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AT A GLANCE RUSHLYE COTTAGES BELLS YEW GREEN NR TUNBRIDGE WELLS n Well priced, extended 3-bedroom end-of-terrace cottage with origins from the 16th century n Reception room open to kitchen n Second reception with log burner and exposed brick hearth n 3 double bedrooms, one with en-suite shower room n Family bathroom n Recently created open kitchen/dining/ utility space with range cooker and stable door n Mature gardens n 10 acres, 4 stables, plus various other outbuildings and paddocks n Electronic gate and driveway lined by beautiful old oak trees n Carport/garage n Just half a mile to Frant mainline railway station n Planning permission for improvements (ask agent for details)

£850,000 CONTACT • Fine & Country, Tunbridge Wells • 01892 701900 • fineandcountry.com

Ideal cottage for equestrians with ten acres and stables, yet close to a mainline station

Wednesday May 22 | 2019

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Property Focus NEW HOMES

New Homes

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One Three Three

133 High Street, Tonbridge

PRICES FROM

£275,000 (£275,000 price subject to four-week exchange)

IT’S time to make a move if you would love a luxury apartment in a hugely convenient spot at No 133 High Street, Tonbridge.

Rising from the first floor upwards, more than 50 per cent of the units at Regalpoint Homes’ ‘One Three Three’ development have already been sold or reserved, with the first properties now nearing completion.

In total, there will be 14 one and two-bedroom apartments plus a three-bedroom home named The Mews, all with light and spacious layouts, open-plan kitchen/dining/living rooms and roomy bedrooms.

The collection also include two penthouses with balconies offering views of Tonbridge Castle.

The designer kitchens are handcrafted and the bathrooms feature stylish Villeroy & Boch fittings, and all the apartments have secure private parking and bicycle storage – so they are ideal for living the high life in the town, as well as cycling or walking by the River Medway and through the lush Tonbridge parks.

They are also within cycling or walking distance of Tonbridge mainline station, with trains to London Bridge in a breezy 32 minutes.

Making moving in even easier is the availability of the Help to Buy scheme on selected homes, requiring just a five per cent deposit.

Tony Porter, Managing Director of Regalpoint Homes, said: “Our apartments have proven to be a huge success, with interest coming from a range of purchasers from first time buyers to downsizers.”

For further information, contact RPC Land & New Homes on 01732 363633 or Savills on 01732 789740, or visit regalpoint.co.uk

Count to One Three Three to live the luxury town high life

COMMERCIAL OPPORTUNITY A freehold of lock-up shop generating £22,500 pax is also available for sale for offers in excess £250,000

Wednesday May 22 | 2019

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The HandleBards hop on their bikes to perform Shakespeare Page 44

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A TASTE OF TONBRIDGE FESTIVAL

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GO GLOBETROTTING THIS SUMMER

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FIAT’S ROCKING NEW MODEL

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Wednesday May 22 | 2019

Getting on their bikes for the Bard

W

E HANDLEBARDS have been visiting venues in Kent since our first tour in 2013. Since that fledgling year, we’ve carried on our bikes everything we need to perform some of Shakespeare’s most famous plays in venues across the county, all as part of our 1,500-mile tours across the UK. It has always been an adventure, with just four actors cycling daily and performing nightly, often camping at the venues or staying with some wonderfully friendly host families, and cycling up

‘We stored the cake on the back of a bike, only to have it fly off in an explosion of crumbs’ to 30 miles between venues during the day.

Getting into Kent on our bikes has always felt like a rite of passage on the tour. We will typically have spent a week or so getting the show up on its feet in London, so to hit the road in the Garden of England is always a delight.

Although some of the Kentish hills can be tough, it does make for some of the prettiest routes of the tour. Once we’re in the county, we cover ground from Tunbridge Wells to Canterbury, ensuring we stop off for some great lunches in some of the best pubs in Britain.

It’s not all pub lunches and smooth cycling, though. We’ve had our share of hairy moments on two wheels – a bike accident on one of our rides a few summers ago meant that one actor was left at the side of the road trying to call a taxi.

Thankfully, a surfing priest on his way to a

Tika Mu’Tamir

Roisin Brehony

Katie Sherrard

With The HandleBards touring outdoor theatre’s first show of the year taking place at Beechwood Sacred Heart School next Tuesday [May 28], troupe founder Paul Moss reflects on six years of cycling through Kent and the UK to perform Shakespeare’s greatest works

Ellice Stevens

arts

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LET’S FACE IT Shakespeare’s worth the ride

conference pulled over in his surfboard-filled camper van (yes, you heard right) and offered our wounded actor a lift to the next venue. The actor then had to hitch a lift between a few subsequent venues with helpful audience members.

It wasn’t surprising that the audience were a friendly bunch, and without fail there was an offer at every venue (sometimes ten offers!) to help get our injured actor on to the next show.

Occasionally, we have some stranger stories to tell. In our first couple of years of touring, a kind audience member brought us a homemade

Discover all the fringe benefits of the Unfest festival Ahead of The Forum’s Unfest festival, which takes place around Tunbridge Wells over the bank holiday weekend, co- organiser Carolyn Gray reveals why it’s so much more than just a local music event

ON THE WALL… Some of the Unfest volunteers get into Mark the swing of things Biggins

UNFEST is Tunbridge Wells’ fringe festival, which has been running for 20 years and is organised by the team at The Forum.

As well as all the usual music treats to enjoy at various venues across town, visitors will be pleased to hear there are some extra special events booked in for the duration of the five-day event, which runs from tomorrow [Thursday May 23] to Bank Holiday Monday [May 27].

There will be an ‘Unfest Takeover’ at Tunbridge Wells Independent Farmers’ Market on Saturday [May 25], which will see a number of bands playing live. Booking acts from our Stable shows, and in conjunction with a local music promoter, we have Kung Fu Slipper, Pete Metcalfe & Paul Stepto, Shep!, Robert Ansell and Mountfield all playing in Market Square from 10am to 4pm.

Also on Saturday, from 2pm Unfest visits Trinity Theatre café as part of a literary event – a first for

FOR EVEN MORE NEWS VISIT: timeslocalnews.co.uk

Wednesday May 22 | 2019

VIWHERE THERE’S A WILL THERE’S A WAY! The HandleBards cycle to their next play

Arts & Culture

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‘When I started playing the whole atmosphere in the room changed’ Ahead of his appearance at Hever Castle over the bank holiday, we spoke to the world’s hottest guitarist, Miloš Karadaglic, about his rise to fame FULL OF PLUCK Montenegran guitarist Miloš Karadaglic

cake after one of our shows to keep our strength up on the tough rides. We dutifully stored this on the back of a bike, only to have it fly off in an explosion of crumbs while we were zooming down one of the steeper hills in the county.

Thinking it was gone forever, we mourned its

loss… until it turned up at our next venue, carried by an anonymous audience member.

It turns out that someone in a passing car had seen the cake fly off the bike, had recognised that it was flying off The HandleBards’ pannier rack, and pulled over to collect the cake (which was surprisingly intact).

They then looked up our next performance venue in order to deliver the cake in person. As we’ve said – our audiences are a friendly bunch.

This year, we’ll be visiting more venues in Kent than ever. For the first show, our glorious girls will bring their magical and madcap The Tempest to Beechwood Sacred Heart School, Tunbridge Wells, on May 28 at 7pm.

So why not come along and experience our take on Shakespeare for yourself?

WHERE TO CATCH THE HANDLEBARDS… Tuesday May 28 Beechwood Sacred Heart School, 7pm, The Tempest Saturday July 20 Milton Creek, Sittingbourne, 6.30pm, Much Ado About Nothing Monday July 22 The Marlowe, Canterbury, 6.30pm, Much Ado About Nothing Thursday July 25 Lympne Castle, Hythe, 6.30pm, Much Ado About Nothing Friday-Saturday July 26-27 Cobtree Park, Maidstone, 6.30pm, Much Ado About Nothing Sunday July 28 Riverhill Himalayan Gardens, Sevenoaks, 5pm, Much Ado About Nothing handlebards.com

the festival. The event’s organiser, Sue Marlow, explains: “Seven local writers are delighted that their event will be part of Unfest at Trinity.

“Words, music and artwork will feature at the ‘Trinity Mysteries of Harris Burdick’ as these writers add their names to the list of luminaries (Stephen King, Chris Van Allsburg, ‘Lemony Snicket’ creator Daniel Handler, etc) who have been inspired by Burdick’s intriguing illustrations and the mystery of the man himself.”

So go along, get a coffee, and discover more.

On Sunday afternoon [May 26], The Forum’s verandah becomes home to Denny’s Barbers, who’ll be running a pop-up salon, and also to The Friends of Tunbridge Wells Museum, Library & Art Gallery.

The latter’s spokesperson, Caroline Auckland, says: “The museum is packed away for redevelopment, but in the meantime you can come and support The Friends’ project to

conserve a Georgian sack-back robe. The gown will be revealed in all its sumptuous glory when The Amelia Scott centre is opened.

“And in the meantime, beautiful cards will be available to purchase during Unfest illustrating a detail from this Georgian Jewel in the Crown.”

Every year local music producer Paul Cheese undertakes a big project for Unfest, and 2019 is no different.

This year he’ll be cycling 3,500+ miles with a mobile recording studio to capture sounds from people and places across the UK to make one piece of music.

Starting at Folkestone Harbour Arm this Sunday [May 26], he will be at The Forum on Bank Holiday Monday, so come along and make some noise! Better still, bring your own sound and wish him well as he sets off on the rest of his trip… See also Going Out, page 48 For full details of Unfest events, visit unfest.org

THE FORUM The town’s awardwinning music venue

Miloš, when did you start playing the guitar?

When I was eight years old. Ever since I can remember, music was an important part of my life, even though my family aren’t musicians.

In Montenegro (where I am from), music education is free – you just have to show talent.

In order to inspire me, my father took out an LP of Andrés Segovia from his dusty collection and played me a piece from it. I was mesmerised, and this sound really changed my life.

When was the moment you realised you wanted to become a professional guitar player?

When I was ten or 11 years old. War was raging all around us, and so many people were dying. In Montenegro we didn’t have direct conflict, but we knew and felt what was happening.

One time we performed with my music school in a small town where people were really poor. I remember so well that when I started playing for those people, the light in their eyes changed and the whole atmosphere in the room changed.

It was the first time I got a clear sign that I was given a gift, and this was much bigger and greater than anything else I would have been able to do.

What exactly is it that makes the guitar so special to you?

There is truly a special quality with being able to hold it so closely to your body, and every time you pluck a string

‘My father took out an LP from his dusty collection and the sound changed my life’ you can feel the resonance deeply inside yourself.

In the classical world, however, guitar is still fighting for its place. So I aimed high, and when we released my first album, Mediterraneo, in 2011, it stayed at number one in the classical charts for 26 weeks. After this it was all much easier.

You are consistently dubbed ‘the hottest guitarist in the world’.

What grounds you?

The people around me. I am so lucky to have incredible friends and family. Human connection is my biggest inspiration. It makes all the difference.

What are your professional aims for the future?

I simply wish to continue what I am doing. Every new day is a new opportunity to grow and discover. I am the luckiest person in the world to have this life. Being a musician is a true privilege.

Miloš Karadaglic takes to the stage at Hever Castle’s open air Festival Theatre at 8pm on Sunday May 26 as part of the Rye International Jazz & Blues Festival 2019. Either side of his appearance, Courtney Pine plays on Saturday May 25 and Mica Paris performs on Bank Holiday Monday May 27. For further information, and to book tickets, visit ryejazz.com or heverfestival.co.uk

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Going Out

FOR EVEN MORE NEWS VISIT: timeslocalnews.co.uk

goingout 7 days of activities

WEDNESDAY Dan Goggin’s musical comedy Nunsense is still on at The Oast Theatre in Tonbridge. After accidentally poisoning 52 of their fellow sisters, a gang of eccentric nuns have to find a way to come up with the money for the burial costs, no doubt raising hell as well as cash in the process. This amateur production starts at 8pm, and tickets at £11 can be booked by calling 01732 363849 or online at oasttheatre.com As mentioned by Eileen Leahy in the last edition of the Times, The Very Hungry Caterpillar will be at Trinity Theatre today at 1pm and 4pm. Based

Wednesday May 22 | 2019

By Jerome Bowman

on the adored illustrated children’s books by Eric Carle, the critically-acclaimed show will feature 75 charming puppets and four of Carle’s stories, including 10 little Rubber Ducks and, of course, the eponymous caterpillar. Tickets cost £12 for adults and £10 for children. To book, visit trinitytheatre.net THURSDAY The award-winning Wadhurst Dramatic Club are debuting their new production of A Bunch of Amateurs tonight in the Wadhurst Commemoration Hall. Keen to boost his flagging A BUNCH OF AMATEURS in Wadhurst are sure be very funny indeed

JUST WALK RIGHT BACK… to see a show telling the tale of the Everly Brothers at the Assembly Hall career, Hollywood star Jefferson Steele arrives in England to play King Lear in Stratford, only to find out he is in the wrong Stratford and that his co-stars are enthusiastic amateurs. Written by Ian Hislop and Nick Newman, the play has been praised for its sharp dialogue and amusing characters. The show starts at 7.30pm and promises to be another hilarious production.

Tickets cost £8 and can be bought online through wadhurstdramaticclub.co.uk FRIDAY Singer and impressionist Jess Robinson brings her new show No Filter to Trinity Theatre. As seen on TV in Britain’s Got Talent, Dead Ringers and The Week That Wasn’t, Jess and her live band will be performing a dizzying array of

musical impressions. Jess has been described as ‘naturally funny’ by The Telegraph, as you can see for yourself by booking tickets at trinitytheatre. net SATURDAY Penshurst Place is holding a variety of taster sessions and demos of Bushcraft Skills, and you never know when they might come in handy! Activities will be available all of today and tomorrow [Sunday], and include fire lighting, whittling and plant identification.

All sessions are included with standard admission tickets.

More information and ticket prices at penshurstplace.com Tunbridge Wells Independent Farmers’ Market is on again in Market Square from 9am till 4pm. It will feature locally-sourced NO FILTER fresh produce, plants, hot Jess food, and artisanal goods Robinson and wines as well as live at Trinity music, as part of the fiveTheatre

Wednesday May 22 | 2019

FOR EVEN MORE NEWS VISIT: timeslocalnews.co.uk

Going Out

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GET A TASTE OF EDWARDIAN LIFE at Hever Castle

BRUSH UP ON BUSHCRAFT SKILLS at Penshurst Place TUESDAY Step back in time to the early 20th century at Hever Castle this week. Edwardian Life will feature traditional Edwardian games for the children, such as Hoopla, Croquet and Boules, a traditional Punch and Judy Show and even a day Unfest festival. For more information, you can look them up on Facebook, or email: tunbridgewells farmersmarket@gmail.com SUNDAY Walk Right Back: The Everly Brothers Story is touring the country and will be at the Assembly Hall Theatre tonight at 7.30pm. The show follows the songster brothers’ rise to fame from humble country beginnings to superstardom, and through their decade-long feud to their reunion.

Expect hits such as Bye Bye Love, All I Have To Do Is Dream and Cathy’s Clown. Tickets cost £25.25 and can be booked online by going to assemblyhalltheatre.co.uk Archery experts will be on hand at Bodiam Castle near Robertsbridge so you can have a go at the Olympic sport of archery. There’s no need to pre-book, just turn up and participate. All you have to do is follow the signs to the archery centre and a visitor reception team will guide you

from there. The minimum price per session is set at £3. The activity will run from 10.30am to 4pm.

For more information, visit nationaltrust.org.uk As part of their Cinephile Sunday, The Picture House in Uckfield will be screening 1964’s Dr Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb. With its demonic performance by Peter Sellers, Stanley Kubrick’s seminal cold-war satire still feels relevant today.

The film will be screened in 4K. To book, go to picturehouseuckfield.com BANK HOLIDAY MONDAY Take the children to see West End actors perform in Peter Pan the Musical at Groombridge Place.

With fabulous costumes and a specially created theatre set, the play will be on twice a day until June 2. Pirates and princesses welcome. Standard admission fees apply, which will include access to all of the grounds. For more information and to purchase tickets, go to groombridgeplace.com

Butler School where the young ones can practise making snooty faces and rolling their eyes.

There will also be an exhibition in the castle on Edwardian inventions and the story of the Astor family, who lived there. Standard fees apply. To find out more and book, go to hevercastle.co.uk

PICK OF THE WEEK:

Courtney Pine Presents Black Notes From The Deep Hever Castle Festival Theatre Saturday May 25, 8pm

Courtney Pine broke on to the British jazz scene in the 1980s and has been a cutting-edge international star ever since.

Now he has returned to the tenor saxophone for the first time in a decade, with UK soul star Omar as his special guest, and has received critical praise for his new show.

Tickets start at £35 and can be booked at heverfestival.co.uk

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Going Out

FOR EVEN MORE NEWS VISIT: timeslocalnews.co.uk THE ASSEMBLY HALL THEATRE Crescent Road. Details at assemblyhalltheatre.co.uk Wednesday Jools Holland Orchestra.

Support: Isabella Coulstock Friday The Illegal Eagles Sunday Walk Right Back

live music With Paul Dunton paulduntonandguests.com

UNFEST FRINGE FESTIVAL FREE ENTRY. Full details at unfest.org Thursday-Bank Holiday Monday Venues: The Forum, The Sussex Arms, The Bedford, The Royal Oak, The George, Javabean Café, The Farmers’ Market. See below THE GREY LADY MUSIC LOUNGE The Pantiles. Doors 7.15pm, entry £6/£7. For more, see pdag.co.uk Wednesday Stonetooth (Ryan Weeks), The River Flows Friday Salsadelic Saturday Soul Avenue THE TUNBRIDGE WELLS FORUM Event information at twforum.co.uk Wednesday Red Rum Club, October Drift Thursday Unfest: U18s Open Mic

The must-read guide to what’s on, including Unfest: the FREE first local music festival of the season…

Friday Unfest: Higgs and the Bosons, India Fraser-Attewell, Lady Bird, Joeythin, 16 Steps, Ed The Dog Dj Karl Quinn Saturday Unfest: Mms Funky Organ Trio, Bombay Monkey, Code: Marla, Joeyfat, Thoma, Plato, Apre, Meg Lawrenson, Jc Palmer, Suncharmer, Dj Karl Quinn, Dwella Knows It, Mike Wilton, Word Up!, Mc Cypher, Arbor the Tree Sunday Unfest: Alex Metcalfe, Jacob Norris, Lily Denning, Kung Fu Slipper, Crimson//Chaos, Studio 32 Oke, Wild Front, Cyrano, The Orange Circus Band, Loose Joints, Sound Sanctury, Ryan Weeks, Biddle Bank Holiday Monday Unfest: Paul Cheese, Soda Prism, Wild Horse, Gatekeepers, West Kent, Törque, Scowl

THE SUSSEX ARMS Sussex Mews Thursday Unfest: Vinyl Tap Night Friday Unfest: Gallows Circus, All The Above, Nod Loves Dogs In Eden, Bobzy, Bjika, DJ Sparks, DJ Been Diggin’ Saturday Unfest: The Calaveras, Naming of Things, Vegasettes, Ununpentium, Torso, Placid, Night Without Sleep, Fish Head, Seething Akira, Alex Macnutt, Bjika, Alldis, WVM, Al Wootten Sunday Unfest: The Alley Devils, Bare Poets, Trench, Dead Kaczynski, Guru, Cockroaches, Barty, Kelly-Lee, La Vache, Squish, Dj K, Leon Styles Bank Holiday Monday Unfest: Live Open Electronic Jam – classic electronic albums JAVABEAN CAFÉ High Street Thursday Unfest: 7.30pm Unheard Voices THE ALFRESCO FESTIVAL The Hop Farm, Paddock Wood Details at alfrescofestival.co.uk Thursday-Bank Holiday Monday Including Erol Alkan, James Lavelle, Vox Low, Joey Negro, Andy Blake and more JAZZ ON THE PANTILES The Bandstand. Music from 8pm Thursday The Kate Daniels Quintet MUSICSTATION Bank Street, Tonbridge. 01732 350629 Thursday & Friday 8pm-9.30pm Play it Again. Adult band workshop, all levels welcome. Booking essential.

THE ROYAL OAK PUB Prospect Road Friday Unfest: Coney Island Maybe, The Breaks, Monkey Trap Saturday Unfest: West Kent College Presents, Darren Sears, Milton Hide, James And Chloe, James Metcalfe, Velvet Goldmine, Sea Rockets Sunday Unfest: The Orange Circus Band, The Fabulous Hoolies, Duch Jo Bank Holiday Monday Unfest: The Harveys, Alchemy Acoustic, 3 x 7, The River Flows INDEPENDENT FARMERS’ MARKET The Market Square, Camden Road Saturday Unfest: Kung Fu Slipper, Pete Metcalf & Paul Stepto, Shep!, Robert Ansell, Mountfield THE BEAU NASH TAVERN Mount Ephraim Saturday The Acoustic Varlies THE NEW TELEGRAPH CLUB 26 Priory Road, Tonbridge. Members free. Guests £5. Doors open 6.30pm Saturday Elvis Tribute The Orange Circus Band

Wednesday May 22 | 2019

UNFEST: THE LOCAL & LIVE STAGE Sussex Mews. Family friendly Saturday Infrared, Jon Grayson, Son of Kirk, The Good Ship Band, Charlie Rivers, The Ackerleys, LAKY, Anna Howie, Chasing Shadows, Will Locke, KAY Sunday Rob Picazo Band, Peter Taylor Band, The Breretons, Steffan James, Paul Gunn Collective, Isabella Coulstock, Sean de Burca, The Orange Circus Band, Xavier Ralph, Chris Parris, Elo, Alice Rose Bank Holiday Monday Suncharmer, David Migden & The Twisted Roots, Mark Morriss, Broken Bones Matilda, Sorrel Nation, Steve Hewitt, Aaric Snook, Rob Smyth THE GEORGE PUB Mount Ephraim Saturday Unfest: Ashley Evans, Amber Titchener, The Dunning-Kruger Group Sunday Unfest: The Orange Circus Band THE BEDFORD PUB 2 High Street. See thebedfordtw.co.uk Saturday Unfest: Candy Stripe Messiahs, Spyplane, Disciples of Lily, U-Turn, Move Over Dali, Second Helpin’, Blackadder

FOR EVEN MORE NEWS VISIT: timeslocalnews.co.uk

arts

Wednesday May 22 | 2019

Arts & Culture

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It’s a family affair for this new film Father and son Mick and Tom Sands have collaborated on Rupert, Rupert & Rupert, a film about a struggling actor played by Sandy Batchelor. Written by Mick, directed by Tom and filmed in the pair’s hometown of Tunbridge Wells it’s currently being streamed on Amazon Prime. The Times finds out more . . .

So, firstly please can you give us a synopsis of what Rupert, Rupert & Rupert is all about?

MICK: It’s a bittersweet comedy-drama about a struggling actor called Rupert, who suffers from dissociative identity disorder (DID), which used to be known as multiple personality disorder. Rupert’s three distinct identities battle for control when he wins the lead role in a West End play and falls for the make-up artist.

How did you come up with the idea for it?

MICK: As an identical twin, I’ve always been interested in alter egos, and had been considering writing a film about someone with DID who wasn’t a mass murderer, which is how they’re often depicted in the cinema. Then I had the idea of making him an actor, who requires the active participation of only one of his identities to succeed.

ACTING UP Sandy Batchelor plays Rupert

Were there any challenges with the script or filming?

MICK: The main challenge as I saw it was to make Rupert’s condition and the therapy scenes truthful. I consulted a psychotherapist who had worked with people with DID, and he helped to make the scenes real and compassionate to the disorder.

TOM: We also used the psychotherapist to guide Sandy Batchelor, who played the different parts of Rupert, and Adam Astill, who played the psychotherapist.

Why did you decide to film it in Tunbridge Wells?

MICK: We both grew up here, so we knew where everything was, and were able to find everything we needed. Local businesses were very kind to us. We shot at various people’s houses, the Warren Restaurant in the High Street, Sanjay’s Café in St John’s Road, the Assembly Hall, the Spa Hotel, Crescent Road car park and Fenton’s Curling Rink.

TOM: I went to Skinners’, so it was nice to go back there and shoot all of the theatre scenes in Byng Hall.

Is this the first time you have worked together?

TOM: No this is our third film. Our first was a horror called Backtrack, which was (wrongly) retitled Nazi Vengeance for Netflix, and our second was a psychological

I have to be in charge when we’re working together.

MICK: Our working relationship is very easy.

I do as I’m told!

FATHER AND SON Mick (sitting) and Tom Sands thriller called The Holly Kane Experiment, which is currently on Amazon Prime. Since finishing Rupert, we’ve completed another psychological thriller called False Witness, which will be released in the UK this summer.

What is your working relationship like compared to your personal one?

TOM: We get on very well and agree on most things both personally and professionally.

The big difference is that as the director

How has the film been received in general and how was the Byng Hall screening last month?

MICK: It’s seems to be a bit of a Marmite film - people either love it or hate it! We had rave reviews after the screenings, and the film has many fans, but a couple of professional reviewers didn’t like the way we’d handled the subject of mental health, even though we’d gone to great lengths to make it truthful.

What’s the next project for you both and any more plans to work together?

TOM: We have four scripts ready to go. The problem is always finding the money.

MICK: If you know anyone who’d like to invest in a film, please let us know!

Rupert, Rupert & Rupert is available digitally on Amazon Prime Video, iTunes and GooglePlay.

Life&Times

food

50

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

Wednesday May 22 | 2019

There’s plenty to savour at

this popular food festival

Tonbridge is hosting its fourth Food and Drink Festival this weekend [May 25-26]. We preview some of those who’ll be part of this epicurean extravaganza and discover the secret ingredients of its success…

T

HIS coming weekend Tonbridge Castle will be transformed into a food lover’s paradise. Craft beer tents will be pitched alongside 60 specialist stalls laid out with all manner of gourmet goodies including cured meats, locally produced cheese, bread, oils, and chutneys in the grounds of the town’s historic 11th century castle. More than 30 local

brews will also be available at the Beer and Cider Festival, which runs alongside the main event which attracts around 15,000 visitors every year.

Award The two day event is being organised by the team behind Tonbridge Farmers Market, who won the Taste of Kent Award for Kent

Farmers’ Market of the Year in 2017.

Spokesperson Steve Wood says: “We’re looking forward to a funpacked, tasty foodie weekend. You can relax in the popular Street Food Café, and perhaps try a taster menu from one of the many stalls selling delicious home-made hot food including English, European, Asian and New World specialities made with quality produce. We’ve also got lots of fun activities planned to

entertain the whole family including an exciting programme of cooking demonstrations from popular local chefs, food producers and local food writers.” There will also be plenty of pop-up bars and cafés to quench thirst and satisfy any hunger pangs.

Proceedings kick off on Saturday morning with a raft of independent producers showcasing their specialist gastronomic fare in the castle’s historic grounds. And from 11am FAIR PLAY Stalls aplenty at Tonbridge Castle

FOR EVEN MORE NEWS VISIT: timeslocalnews.co.uk

Wednesday May 22 | 2019

Sarah Giles

Jo Banks

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Food & Drink

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Raise a toast to English wine week Times Drinks Editor James Viner finds good cause to revel with the best of our English wine…

Alex Thurman visitors will be able to enjoy various demos from a number of foodie experts including Hilary Steel from vegan and vegetarian brand Steely Good Food and former BBC Masterchef finalist and BBC Easy Cook magazine Sarah Giles.

“I’m thrilled that my blog A Cook’s Plot is ‘going live’ on stage again this summer, kicking off with the prestigious Tonbridge Food Festival,” says Sarah. “True to the ethos of the blog, I’ll be demonstrating some seriously yummy but seriously easy recipes, both savoury and sweet, that are all super-quick to prepare.”

The epicurean extravaganza will also include demos from the likes of The Small Holding’s Will Devlin as well as passionate foodie bloggers Jo Banks from Alive with Flavour and Feed the Brood’s Alex Thurman.

“What an exciting way to start the summer off with fab food and drink!” declares Alex who is looking forward to her stint in the demo tents: “I’ll be in the live kitchen showing how easy it is to cook up a healthy family meal in minutes and after that, I’ll be running a pesto making session for children and their parents in the Alive with Flavour tent. You’ll probably find me with a Pimms in hand in the sunshine after that!”

Each day there will also be a ‘Cake Off’ competition at 2.30pm and there are also plenty of events for children courtesy of the Hands-On Tent where you can make-your-own bread sticks and pesto and have a go at cake decorating.

For more information visit facebook.com/ TonbridgeFoodandDrinkFestival

THIS year’s English Wine Week starts on Saturday [May 25] with numerous events designed to raise awareness of our indiginous vino.

According to recent Wine and Spirit Trade Association data, British wine drinkers sank a record 4million bottles of English and Welsh sparkling wine in 2018 – up 6% on 2017 – making British bubbles more popular than sparkling wines from Australia, Germany and the USA combined.

Sparkling wine now accounts for around 70% of all English and Welsh wine produced. There are over 500 vineyards across the land, so why not take the time to visit one this weekend?

1) A ZIPPY WHITE FROM KENT 2018 Tesco finest English White, Hush Heath Estate, Kent (£12, Tesco, 25% off when buying 6+ wines) This is squeaky clean, racy and impeccably turned out with Pinot Blanc, Bacchus, Chardonnay and a dash of Pinot Noir in the mix. It has intensity and complexity to its array of stone fruit, hedgerow, citrus, white fruit and nettle flavours, with plenty of texture.

A very classy example of an incredibly good vintage.

Winemakers: V. Ash & O. Elias.

Alc 11.5%

2) BUBBLES FROM AN AWARDWINNING HANTS HOP GARDEN 2013 Jenkyn Place Brut Cuvée, Hampshire (£29.50, Ocado, Waitrose, Bacchus Wines, Vintage Cellars, Hawkins Bros) It’s virtually impossible not to like or enjoy this youthful vintage blend of 62% Chardonnay, 24% Pinot Noir and 14% Pinot Meunier from Bentley, Hampshire, which spent around four years on its lees. While there’s still life ahead of it, it’s pitchperfect now, either as an aperitif or with seafood, Cantonese cuisine, eggs benedict, salty snacks, fish and chips or sushi.

Crunchy green apple, flowers, citrus, yeast, peach and a choir of orchard fruits barrel along the mineral seams. There’s reiving acidity and mineral-clad tension at play, too.

Winemaker: Dermot Sugrue.

Alc: 12%

1 2

Follow James on Twitter @QuixoticWine Find out more about English Wine Week via social media: #EnglishWineWeek @englishwineweek kentvineyards.com winegb.co.uk 3) CLASSY TRADITIONAL SPARKLING WINE FROM KENT 2014 Squerryes Exclusive Vintage Reserve Brut, Westerham (£32 at 7 branches of Waitrose/ Waitrose Cellar & at squerryes.co.uk/shop) Squerryes sits within a bountiful 2,500-acre estate in the Kent Downs. This one is a real classic if you like developed notes of nuts, toast and brioche, with refined citrus and apple fruit plus a whiff of salinity. Crisp, minerally acidity puts the seal on the deal of an outstanding wine. It blooms with flavour and fragrance but it’s unremitting in its charge through to a longdrawn-out finish.

Winemaker: Micaela Smith.

Alc: 12% Email: celebrations @squerryes. co.uk

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Books

FOR EVEN MORE NEWS VISIT: timeslocalnews.co.uk

The bookcase…

This week’s bookcase includes reviews of Conviction by Denise Mina and The Porpoise by Mark Haddon

BOOK OF THE WEEK

Lost Property

by Laura Beatty

Published in hardback by Atlantic Books, priced £14.99 (ebook £5.69) A writer finds herself in the grip of a mid-life crisis that is also a response to current events, which cause her to be preoccupied by humanity’s greed and nationalism and the destruction of the natural world. So she sets off with her partner on a camper van journey from London to Greece via France, Italy and the Balkans, looking at both the best and worst of what has happened there. At times, figures from the past of the places she visits appear, like ghosts, to converse with the writer as she tries to tackle her concerns.

There is violence and destruction, but also the urge to create art, buildings and towns. A timely trip through some reminders from history.

(Review by Lucy Whetman)

9/10

Wednesday May 22 | 2019

Conviction by Denise Mina

Published in hardback by Harvill Secker, priced £12.99 (ebook £9.99) It won’t take you long to finish this thriller from the whip-smart Scottish crime writer. Conviction reads so quickly the pages turn themselves.

The premise throws seemingly standard-issue middle-class mum Anna into a plummeting lift of a plot, as her husband suddenly leaves with her best friend, taking their young daughters. As her world falls away, Anna follows the twists of a true-crime podcast about the murderous sinking of a yacht in the Mediterranean. She chases up the story behind the podcast in the company of anorexic rock star friend/needy hanger-on Fin; the abandoned husband of her faithless best friend. In a dangerous race around Europe, Anna swerves through a deadly maze and her identity peels off revealing someone other than she seems. Grimly hilarious, emotional and addictive, Conviction rushes to a slightly barmy didn’t-see-that-coming denouement that unlocks the puzzle.

(Review by Julian Cole)

8/10

The Porpoise by Mark Haddon

7/10

Published in hardback by Chatto & Windus, priced £18.99 (ebook £9.99) Markedly different from his breakthrough novel The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time, Mark Haddon’s latest work, The Porpoise, retains its ability to envelope the reader in an imaginative new world. Starting with the modern tragedy of a fatal air crash and the uncovering of a dark secret, the novel then turns into a tale of history and myth being woven by a teenage girl – sole crash survivor Angelica. A whirlwind of sea voyages to plague-ridden ports, royal murder plots, Greek goddesses and the ghost of Shakespeare, it is an updating of one of the Bard’s lesserknown works, Pericles, Prince of Tyre, itself a reworking of the Greek myth of Apollinus/Apollonius, and said to be written in part by playwright George Wilkins. This gripping and evocative novel questions the nature of the stories we tell ourselves and others, and proves the ancient tales are far from boring. (Review by Laura Paterson)

Wednesday May 22 | 2019

FOR EVEN MORE NEWS VISIT: timeslocalnews.co.uk

8/10

NON-FICTION

often foul summer weather.

But until now, tackling a fullscale military history of one of the 20th century’s most defining and bloody battles has seemed too daunting. James Holland’s readable account, timed to coincide with the 75th anniversary of D-Day on June 6, provides a strategic overview enlivened by personal accounts of the horror that once played out in that peaceful landscape.

The work makes some claim of offering a new historical perspective, and certainly for the general reader there are plenty of surprises…

(Review by Liz Ryan)

Normandy ’44: D-Day And The Retaking Of Europe

by James Holland

Published in hardback by Bantam Press, priced £25 (ebook £12.99) Over the years, by visiting friends in Carentan, I have come to appreciate certain things about the Normandy campaign – things you can only really understand by traversing the notorious bocage (the stillexisting network of tiny fields, hedgerows and sunken lanes) and by experiencing at first hand the region’s capacity for CHILDREN’S BOOK REVIEW

Toffee

by Sarah Crossan

Books

Published in hardback by Bloomsbury YA, priced £12.99 (ebook £3.92) Carnegie medal-winning Sarah Crossan has a knack for writing Young Adult free verse novels that simultaneously crush you completely and provide sharp stabs of light and clarity. Her latest, Toffee, is no different.

Allison, with a smarting burn on her face, has run away from home and finds refuge in Marla’s house. Marla thinks she’s called Toffee, and right now being Toffee feels better than being Allison. Around this friendship Crossan builds in the raging disappointment parents can be, the potential uselessness of safety nets like school, and

the nastiness of teenage girls.

Alongside all this badness there’s dancing, buttered toast, and a sliver or two of hope. Moving, powerful and at times distressing.

(Review by Ella Walker)

9/10

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BOOK CHARTS HARDBACKS 1. Pinch Of Nom by Kate Allinson and Kay Featherstone 2. Finale: Caravale by Stephanie Garber 3. Diary of an Awesome Friendly Kid: Rowley Jefferson’s Journal by Jeff Kinney 4. Underland by Robert Macfarlane 5. Machines Like Me by Ian McEwan 6. The Butterfly Room by Lucinda Riley 7. Tom Gates: Mega Make and Do (and Stories Too!) by Liz Pichon 8. Fing by David Walliams 9. The Doll Factory by Elizabeth Macneal 10. Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read by Philippa Perry PAPERBACKS 1. Normal People by Sally Rooney 2. The Way Of All Flesh by Ambrose Parry 3. Malamander: The Legends of Eerie-on-Sea

by Thomas Taylor 4. Moneyland by Oliver Bullough 5. The Silence Of The Girls by Pat Barker 6. Circe by Madeleince Miller 7. Transcription by Kate Atkinson 8. 12 Rules For Life by Jordan B Peterson 9. The Mister by EL James 10. Lethal White by Robert Galbraith (Compiled by Waterstones) EBOOKS 1. The Shape Of Lies by Rachel Abbott 2. The Forgotten Village by Lorna Cook 3. My Lovely Wife by Samantha Downing 4. The Mother-in-Law by Slly Hepworth 5. The Moor by LJ Ross 6. The Partner by John Grisham 7. The Man From St Petersburg by Ken Follett 8. Bring Them Home by D.S. Butler 9. Say You’re Sorry by Karen Rose 10. Where Secrets Lie by D.S. Butler (Compiled by Amazon)

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travel

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The world is waiting to greet you With so many international destinations to choose from, Baldwins Travel and Saga have rounded up the world’s best places to see stunning cities and incredible natural wonders NIGHTLIFE Phuket City in Thailand

I

A BIRD’S EYE VIEW Scarlet Macaws in Carara National Park, Costa Rica

Wednesday May 22 | 2019

T MIGHT be the views of the Annapurna Valley in Nepal that your Sherpa guide has led you to; the sight of sleeping lions in Africa; the thundering sound of the mighty Niagara Falls; the tantalising smell of chili, lemongrass and garlic on a street stall in Thailand; or the feeling of white sand between your toes in Sri Lanka… travel is all about the experiences that linger in the memory long after you’ve returned home. This collection of worldwide holidays is packed full of authentic experiences that will surprise even the most seasoned traveller…

CUBA Cuba is a magical country, full of spirit and verve. Here you’ll find a culture which is a heavy cocktail of African, European and indigenous American influences – African drums beat in time with European strings on this Caribbean island paradise.

On the streets of Havana, crumbling colonial-style villas and Latin America’s best Baroque cathedral stand shoulder to shoulder with brutalist structures embellished with then heroic realist imagery of the Cuban revolution.

SOUTH AFRICA For example, embark on a tour of South Africa and enjoy a safari in one of the oldest and largest national parks, Kruger, where you can see the ‘big five’ – the lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo and rhino.

You can cruise through the St Lucia Wetlands to Shakaland for an overnight stay in a traditional beehive-shaped hut, drive along the fabled Garden Route and spend three nights in Cape Town, where you can take a cable car up Table Mountain.

‘You’re sure to fall in love with the spirit and energy of its people’

INDIA India is a country full of culture and colour, and wherever you travel here there is so much to see and experience.

You’ll meet so many interesting local people, whether it’s your experienced guide, people at the market or fellow revellers at one of the country’s vibrant festivals.

Why not visit the highlights of the famed Golden Triangle – Delhi, regal Jaipur and romantic Agra? See the incredible Taj Mahal, beautiful Amber Fort, and try and spot tigers in Ranthambore National Park.

Or, perhaps travel across the country by train and experience three mountain railways – one of which is the famous Kalka Shimla Railway, or ‘Toy Train’.

The overwhelming vibe that one gets in Cuba is one of Caribbean contentment and joie de vivre, and you can soak up this atmosphere yourself. Join a tour of Cuba and you can contrast the island’s cities and culture with its unspoilt countryside, lush valleys and idyllic coastal resorts.

AMERICA If the thought of exploring some of America’s most iconic sights appeals, join a tour of America’s west coast.

Visit Chinatown in San Francisco and cross the famous Golden Gate Bridge, enjoy a scenic drive to Yosemite National Park and Fresno, try your luck in dazzling Las Vegas and visit Death Valley, see the awe-inspiring Grand Canyon, and get star-struck in Los Angeles as you discover the delights of Hollywood and Beverly Hills.

If you’ve never visited America before, you’re sure to fall in love with the spirit and energy of its people, its grand scale and buzzing cities.

COSTA RICA One of the most rewarding travel experiences is seeing animals in their natural environment, and since Costa Rica forms a bridge between North and South America, it’s a melting pot for the flora and fauna of both continents.

It is among the top 20 countries in the world with the highest biodiversity, boasting over 400,000 different

POTTY ABOUT MARKETS Nizwa in Oman

Wednesday May 22 | 2019

species, which equates to nearly four per cent of the world’s total.

Join a tour based at private reserves and visit incredible national parks and wildlife sanctuaries, including Carara National Park. Enjoy an eyeopening rainforest walk through Muelle de San Carlos. Explore Carara, one of the last unspoiled wet and dry forests that supports over 350 species of tropical bird, including the scarlet macaw.

‘Drift down the San Peñas Blancas River in a flat-bottom boat for an unrivalled view of monkeys, sloths, iguanas and crocodiles’ Or drift down the San Peñas Blancas River in a flat-bottom boat, giving you an unrivalled view of rainforest animals, including monkeys, sloths, iguanas and crocodiles.

Keep your eyes peeled and you could just see one of the hundreds of creatures of Costa Rica that exist nowhere else.

VIETNAM AND CAMBODIA Experience the beauty and grandeur of the Mekong river on a leisurely cruise through Vietnam and Cambodia.

Sail on sampans into floating markets and villages, and top and tail your river tour with hotel

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stays in Ho Chi Minh city and near the ancient temples of Angkor. Visit Ben Tre and Cho Lach Island, Gao Giong bird sanctuary and Con Phuoc Island. Cruise the canals of Tan Chau, take a tour of Phnom Penh by ‘cyclo’, sail on the Tobnle Sap River, visit Koh Okhna Tey island and Koh Trong island and watch for dolphins in Kratie.

AUSTRALIA If you’ve ever wanted to enjoy the ultimate tour of Australia’s greatest sights, there is one that does just that. Discover dazzling cities and remote wonders as you see highlights such as the sacred Aboriginal rock art of Kakadu National Park, cruise the birdlife Yellow Waters Lagoon and perhaps see saltwater crocodiles, discover the colourful life of Great Barrier Reef from Frankland Island and travel along the scenic Great Ocean Road and see its famous limestone stacks.

BORNEO Enjoy the exhilarating experience of a lifetime travelling into Borneo. Its rainforests are blessed with a stunning botanical diversity and unique wildlife which you can discover as part of a small group on this fascinating tour. Highlights include the beautiful gardens of Sabah Agricultural Park, the rainforests of Kinabalu National Park, birdwatching on an oxbow lake, and a night cruise on the Menanggol river – plus a visit to Sepilok Orang-utan Centre.

HO CHI MINH CITY Take a river tour through the bustling Vietnam metropolis

WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE Kruger National Park, South Africa SOUTHERN THAILAND If you prefer to travel to Thailand, why not help a local community and ethical elephant centre continue their important work? Make a difference while on holiday to the Andaman coast, with its tropical islands and beautiful scenery. Visit Phuket and take a boat trip from Phuket to Krabi via Koh Phi Phi. Visit the artisan village of Baan Natin, Wat Keau Buddhist Temple, Cheow Lan Lake and the charming old town of Takuapa.

OMAN Oman is an intriguing mix of rich heritage and modern-day living, from bustling souqs to contemporary architecture, and you can expect a warm welcome on your visit to the Middle East’s best-kept secret.

Discover unspoiled landscapes of vast sand dunes, sparkling wadis, rugged mountains, and pristine beaches on a tour of Oman’s highlights.

You’ll spend an evening with a Bedouin family, visit historic forts and ruins and sleep under the stars in the desert. You’ll also seek out nesting green turtles on a journey from the country’s capital, Muscat, through ancient Nizwa and the

copper-coloured Wahiba Sands to Ras Al Jinz on the country’s eastern tip.

MONGOLIA Alternatively, why not travel to Mongolia for a true adventure? Head off the beaten track and journey through a land that time forgot, exploring vast landscapes of rolling green steppes, majestic mountain ranges with snow-capped peaks, and the sweeping golden sand dunes of the Gobi Desert.

Get a taste of nomadic life and meet local herding families, enjoy performances of Mongolian throat singing and the ancient art of eagle hunting before a hearty communal dinner, as you relax in the peaceful wilderness of your ger camp. With endless panoramas of pristine landscapes, space and fresh air, this rarely visited land offers immense rewards for those with an adventurous spirit.

Wherever you choose to travel with Baldwins Travel and Saga, you’ll be surprised by the unforgettable people, places, sights, sounds, smells and tastes. The world really is waiting to meet you, so where will you travel?

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Motoring

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Motoring News

This week…  Fiat rocks the look  Racing legend film  Faster e-chargers

Wednesday May 22 | 2019

Superfast BP electric car chargers to be installed across UK

Schumachers back a revealing new documentary on F1 champ

The Fiat 500 goes all Star and Rockstar – with new colours FIAT has bolstered its 500 city car range with two new specifications – Star and Rockstar.

Sitting at the top of the trim levels offered with the 500, both Star and Rockstar offer a high level of standard equipment and technology.

Star features a new metallic Powder Pink paint as well as a range of chrome accents designed to give it a more premium appeal. A fixed glass roof is also included as standard, along with 16-inch alloy wheels.

Inside, there’s the option of either white sand and black, or a new Matelasse finish with ‘techno-leather’ details and embroidered 500 logo.

The dashboard can be finished in either matt white or matt Bordeux colours. In the middle of the cabin is a seven-inch infotainment screen.

It’s available in either hatchback or convertible layouts, and can be specified with either a 1.2-litre petrol engine or 0.9-litre Twin Air powertrain. The former is available with a six-speed manual or Dualogic automatic transmission, while the latter can only has the manual gearbox.

Star cars are priced from £15,395.

The Rockstar, in contrast, receives bumpers and side sills from Sport specification cars, but adds 16-inch alloy wheels and satin finish bodywork details. It also receives a new exterior colour – Portofino Green.

The interior has pinstripe fabric seats edged in black eco leather. It, too, gets a seven-inch touchscreen infotainment system, and offers the same engines as the Star. Rockstar cars are available from £15,565.

A NEW documentary will lift the lid on the life of seven-times Formula 1 World Champion Michael Schumacher [pictured below] as he continues to recover from the devastating head injuries he received in a skiing accident more than five years ago.

Made by two German filmmakers and titled Schumacher, the film is being released to coincide with the 25th anniversary of the racing legend’s first World Championship title, and contains the first family comments on the accident that nearly cost him his life.

The documentary, which will tell how he went from karting to dominating the world of motorsport, is due for release on December 5 in Germany and Switzerland, but international streaming rights are currently up for grabs at The Cannes Film Festival, where the trailer was due to be shown.

The documentary has been officially backed by

Schumacher’s family, with his wife and two children being interviewed.

It is believed the film will reveal never-before-seen footage behind the scenes of his recovery, although it is not expected to go into too much detail about the near-fatal skiing accident, and Schumacher is not expected to feature personally.

Schumacher spent four months in an induced coma after the accident and was transferred to his family home in Switzerland six months later.

Since then, he has received private care, with his family refusing to comment on his condition.

However, in November 2014, a friend of the racing star, former racing driver Philippe Streiff, told a French radio station that the German star was ‘paralysed and in a wheelchair’.

THE UK’s largest provider of electric car charge points, BP Chargemaster, has announced that it will commence installing 400 150kW superfast chargepoints by 2021, with 100 to be in place by the end of this year.

Set to begin in July, the scheme will see the chargers installed as part of the Polar network, which comprises over 6,500 charging points across the country.

The announcement was made at a BP Chargemaster conference, and stated that these superfast chargers would be installed on BP’s forecourts throughout the UK. While current ‘rapid’ chargers offer 50kW charge rates, these latest units will provide a far faster rate of charge.

Although many electric vehicles on sale today are unable to accept this higher rate, the installation will future-proof the network as new vehicles that are capable of accepting faster rates arrive on the market.

The new Audi e-Tron, for instance, can accept a 150kW charge, allowing it to charge from 0-80 per cent in around half an hour.

US tech company Tesla recently unveiled a system where 75 miles of charge could be added to a Tesla Model 3 in just five minutes.

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Recruitment

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Wednesday May 22 | 2019

WITH THE

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

Fill your vacancy now in print or online

From just £99 For more information contact our commercial team on 01892 779650

OF TUNBRIDGE WELLS AND TONBRIDGE

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

Codeword:

5 2 7 9 3

8 5 6

4 2 8

5 7 9

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

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© 2016 Syndicated Puzzles

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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

T S H A I N K S Y O T U E D R B U M

M W O I O N A V O M R E J E C T O R N I T S T E M S A C E R B O G A R U P R AM I N D O P Q I R E A U F R R E F

B K R T E X A M C A P E E D H O C R B A G E A A L E N T T I I E Z E C E

Sudoku:

7 5 9 6 3 4 8 1 2

2 6 8 7 1 5 4 9 3

3 4 1 2 8 9 6 5 7

6 2 5 1 4 3 7 8 9

4 8 7 5 9 6 3 2 1

1 9 3 8 2 7 5 4 6

9 7 2 4 6 8 1 3 5

8 1 6 3 5 2 9 7 4

5 3 4 9 7 1 2 6 8

5 6 3 2 9 4 7 1 8

2 7 1 8 5 6 3 4 9

3 4 6 9 2 7 8 5 1

1 8 2 5 4 9 6 3 7

9 5 7 1 8 3 4 2 6

Jigsaw Sudoku:

6 2 9 3 7 1 5 8 4

7 1 4 6 3 8 2 9 5

8 9 5 4 6 2 1 7 3

4 3 8 7 1 5 9 6 2

© 2016 Syndicated Puzzles

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Wednesday May 22 | 2019

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Sport

FORsports EVENstories MORE to: NEWS VISIT: timeslocalnews.co.uk or newsdesk@timesoftonbridge.co.uk Please send newsdesk@timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk

Wednesday May 22 | 2019

McLean sees Wells to thrilling win after taking crucial wickets Sandwich Town 237-9 lost to Tunbridge Wells 238-6 by 6 wkts

By Alan Cutts CRICKET: TUNBRIDGE WELLS are in a three-way tie at the head of the Kent League Premier Division alongside Beckenham and Lordswood after an impressive win at the Nevill.

Chris Williams won the toss and inserted the visitors but his opening attack of Ari Karvelas and 18-year-old Isaac Bepey could make no inroads.

Zak Fagg (35) and Tom Chapman shared a vibrant opening partnership of 84 in 16 overs.

It was left to second-change bowler Ian McLean

(3 for 20) to make a double breakthrough, bowling both openers. Chapman departed for a brisk 45, which included five fours and a six.

There followed a subdued period where ten overs brought just 18 runs with Mark McLean helping to keep the run-rate down.

Michael Waller then stepped up to grab his first five-wicket-haul in the Kent League, returning 5 for 55. The score edged along to 139 for 3 with 13 remaining in the allocation.

Kent players Jordan Cox and Grant Stewart (31) added 63 for the fourth wicket, but Waller and the home catchers steadily broke down the advance.

Cox went on to make 67 from 89 balls with five fours, holding the innings together, and a late

flourish brought the visitors’ total up to 237 for 9.

The reply was delayed by a short shower of rain, and after an early setback Chris Williams and Christian Davis added a masterly 74 for the second wicket.

They were both in imperious touch as Williams made 42 with six fours and a six, while Davis’s 31 featured four fours and a six.

Their stand was cut short when Rory Smith (3 for 48) broke through in a key spell.

The reply then slid to a troubled 119 for 5 with 18 overs left to get another 119 to win. Now Alex Williams was joined by Ian McLean in a rescue mission where they had to maintain a rising tempo as well as play safely.

Men take home first Kent Cup Tunbridge Wells Men 4 Marden 1

By Francis Bridgeman

New overseas star Jalill shows class with bat and ball Cowdrey 213 beat Gravesend 144 by 69 runs

HOCKEY: TUNBRIDGE WELLS Men won the Kent

Cup final for the first time in the club’s history with a hard-earned win against a determined Marden at Holcombe Park on Sunday [May 19].

They made a lightning start, carving out three chances in the first five minutes.

Wells had the majority of possession and worked hard to create clear-cut opportunities with Connor Poulain running the midfield.

Every time Sam George collected the ball it looked as though something would happen, and after 15 minutes he broke through the inside left channel to square for Ant Dalrymple to tap in.

The slender lead meant Marden were always in the game, but Wells’ persistence paid off as George’s skill again troubled the Marden defence, forcing a penalty corner.

Ben Allberry’s strike was well saved, but Green followed up to fire into the roof of the net and give Wells the all important two-goal cushion.

Good work from James Lester and George again saw Wells win a further penalty corner and player of the match James Beck made it 3-0.

But Marden had not given up, and a misplaced defensive clearance soon afterwards allowed a quick one-two on the edge of the Wells circle before a Marden striker finished with a fine strike into the roof of the net.

The Russets’ hopes of a come-back were quickly stifled, however, as Kyle Mathieson and George again combined down the Wells left.

The ball was passed to Allberry in front of goal and he made no mistake to make the score 4-1 and ensure Wells took home the trophy.

There was double cup success on finals day as Wells Under-14 Boys beat Folkestone 2-0 to win the Kent Championships, the goals coming from Mackaye Crawford and Finn Page.

The pair then put on 80 for the sixth wicket in 13 overs with Williams scoring his third consecutive league half-century.

He struck 64 from 61 balls with six fours and a six, but his dismissal in the 45th over left Wells needing 39 from 32 balls as the tension mounted.

McLean was joined by Karvelas (22 not out) to take up the chase at 199 for 6, and the daring duo improvised brilliantly – with just three dot balls as they ran for everything.

The crowd cheered them in as the fine win was completed with four balls to spare, McLean Snr remaining unbeaten on 46 with four boundaries.

Tunbridge Wells now travel to Bexley on Saturday (May 25).

By Stuart Clarke

BEND IT LIKE BECK Man of the match James Beck scores Wells’ third

CHAMPIONS: (Back row, l-r) James Wattenbach (manager) , Ant Dalrymple, Connor Poulain, James Harris, Aaron Leadbeater, James Beck, Russell Self, Kyle Mathieson, Ben Brandt, Keir Starley (assistant coach); (front) Nate Webster, Chris Smith, James Lester, Oli Woodcock (captain), Ben Allberry (head coach), Cam Green, Sam George, Jack French

Top threes for Fitzpatrick and Howard in Marshman

LIFTING THE LYDD: (L-R) Ken MacSporran, Claire Howard, John Fuller and Kieran Fitzpatrick (with daughter Niamh) at the Marshman

TRIATHLON: TWO groups of athletes from Tunbridge Wells Triathlon Club competed at middle distance events (1.9km swim, 90km bike, 21km run) 220 miles apart on Sunday (May 19).

On the south coast, four members were taking part at the Marshman middle-distance event in Lydd.

This low-key, family-feel event had 123 competitors in total, with 43 taking on the middle distance.

The start was postponed for half an hour while the bike course had to be rerouted due to a road being closed for repair.

Usually competitors have to battle strong headwinds as they ride past Camber Sands for two loops. But it was calm on this occasion, which led to some fast times.

Kieran Fitzpatrick (M35-39) had a superb bike leg which took him from

20th to fourth, and posted the fastest run split to finish second overall in 4:28.38. Ken MacSporran (M40-44) came 13th in 5:05.23 Claire Howard (F40-44) showed consistency in all disciplines and was rewarded with a podium spot, finishing third in her age group in 5:26.32. John Fuller (M45-49) came in four minutes later in 5:30.28.

Almost 1,600 athletes competing in the Outlaw Half in Nottingham, which saw the course record broken.

Sam Gibbs (male 35 to 39) was the highest placed for Tunbridge Wells, coming home 380th in 5hr 25min 44sec, his first sub 5:30 time.

Chris Dickinson (M55-59) was second for the club in 6:06.27, soon followed by Helen Waite (F40-44) in 6:08.39; Francis Leary (M50-54) finished strongly in 6:57.40.

CRICKET: COWDREY put aside last weekend’s rain-wrecked opener to record their first win after promotion to Kent League Division Three.

The Tonbridge side’s new overseas recruit Minhaj Jalill made an outstanding contribution with bat and ball.

Ryan Addison won the toss at Swanmead and chose to bat first, but Gravesend were soon to prove what a strong bowling outfit they are.

The home side were soon on the back foot.

Xavier Yeats-Brown (28) was the only player in double figures as Cowdrey subsided to 60 for 5.

However, the Sri Lankan first-class all-rounder Jalill took control and went on the counterattack with a delightful array of shots.

He received support from Addison as the pair added 61 for the sixth wicket, and when the captain departed, veteran Glen Warner worked hard running between the wickets.

Jalill departed for an excellent 85 off 80 balls including 14 fours, bowled by opening bowler Adnan Pervaiz returning for a second spell.

Warner marshalled the tail, finishing unbeaten on 31 as Cowdrey were all out for 213.

Gravesend’s Jamie Maguire (37) got off to a good start before the bowlers found a better line.

Paceman Harry Johnson (2 for 34) clean-bowled both openers, while six-foot-six Nick Farr bowled with pace and aggressive but without luck.

Then Jalill’s spin was introduced and Gravesend were not able to get after him.

Fiery Farr (2 for 33) returned and his express pace was too much for the remaining top order.

Thom Brown made the crucial breakthrough, dismissing Arun Rana for 33.

And the Sri Lankan mopped up the tail to record outstanding figures of 4 for 10 in his 10 overs as Gravesend fell 69 runs short on 144.

Cowdrey, in fourth place, now travel to league leaders Bexleyheath on Saturday (May 25).

ALL-ROUND EFFORT: Minhaj Jalill scored 85 and took 4 for 10 in 10 overs

Wednesday May 22 | 2019

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Sport The hugely successful Tunbridge Wells RFC Under-18 girls’ team show off their three trophies – after winning the Kent Cup, Under-18 League and Whiting & Hammond 7s – at the club’s Awards Dinner at the Spa Hotel, with guest of honour, former British Lion, John Bentley (far right). Player of the Year: Brendan Crosilla; Player’s Player of the Year: Mike Hathaway; Try Scorer of the Year: Mike Doherty; Most Improved Player: Nick Lawler; Clubman of the Year: Mav Anderson; Junior Clubman: Martin Croker; Young Player of the Year: Ben Isbell; Anthony Clarke Memorial Award: Lucas Scull

Walker signs off with victory in Plate final Tunbridge Wells U-16s 20 Cranbrook U-16s 14 RUGBY: TUNBRIDGE WELLS Under16s rounded off their season with a hard-fought victory over local rivals Cranbrook in the Kent Plate final.

It was the first campaign that they had benefited from training with the club’s Academy, which consists of the two age groups above them.

The final was captain Max Walker’s last match with the team, having played with the club for 11 years, before he moves to India.

And Cameron Cummings was taking on Cranbrook School colleagues.

Wells got on the scoreboard early with a well-rehearsed move by Theo Daviron, picking up the ball from a solid scrum and using his pace and evasion to run in on the blindside.

Cranbrook stopped Wells’ driving

maul just short of the line but Jamie Phillips picked up the ball and dived over the ruck to score the second try.

Both tries were unconverted, so when Cranbrook scored and converted they were only three points behind.

But Wells extended their lead to 17-7 at half-time, the forwards providing several phases of quick ball to allow full-back Harry Child to score.

The second half saw several chances go amiss. Jordan Banbrook reached the line with a rampaging run but the try was disallowed.

Monty McDonald kicked a penalty to make the score 20-7, and for the last 10 minutes Wells’ defence held firm.

Cranbrook did find a consolation before the end, spinning the ball wide to score the final try.

SILVER SERVICE: Captain Max Walker celebrates with his Under-16 team-mates

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OFF THE MARK: Lynos Rwodzi scores

Rustics Reserves claim second cup Rusthall Reserves 2 Lydd Town Reserves 0 FOOTBALL: RUSTHALL RESERVES won their second trophy within a week when they won the prestigious Kent Intermediate Cup against Lydd Town Reserves at K Sports.

Lydd play in the Kent County League Division One Central and East, where the promoted Rustics will now play, so a tough match was expected.

But Rusthall dominated from the start with man of the match Lynos Rwodzi scoring directly from a corner with a goal which went in off the goalkeeper.

The physical encounter lacked quality and there were few chances.

Rusthall made the game safe in the second half when Ryan Hinkson scored following a goalmouth scramble.

As well as securing promotion in his first season in charge, manager Lee Chambers’ side also won the Tunbridge Wells Charity Cup.