Wednesday November 29 | 2017
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Celebrity Davina McCall searches for new home after 17 year marriage is brought to an end
‘My biggest fear if the Civic development proposal is rejected is that this wonderful Royal town becomes a commuter hub and if that is the case, we might as well turn out the lights and move Southpaw to London. There is a big decision to be made on December 6 and to put it simply, it is time to thrive or die’
By Jonathan Banks ONE of the area’s best known celebrities, TV presenter Davina McCall, was out house hunting this week after announcing that her marriage to husband Matthew Robertson is over. The former Big Brother host, who earlier this year helped in an appeal to raise £225,000 to upgrade Calverley Adventure Grounds, broke the news on Saturday [November 25]. She said: “I am very sad to say that Matthew and I have separated. Our amazing children are our number one priority.”
Family The split comes just two years after the pair renewed their wedding vows. The couple live with their three children, Holly, 16, Tilly, 14 and Chester, 11, in a £3.2million eight bedroom home in Wadhurst. According to media reports Ms McCall, 50, was seen ‘chatting to an estate agent and being taken on a tour of properties near her former marital home’. Mr Robertson, 48, is a former TV host who worked on Pet Rescue and then set up a travel company. DIFFICULT TIME Davina McCall
INSIDE CHRISTMAS CHEER
See our inspirational luxury 16 page gift guide Page 25
SEAL OF APPROVAL
Schools guru Ian Bauckham receives CBE Page 5
Tom Poynter, Southpaw
Businesses warn of consequences of not building new Civic Complex By William Mata will@timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk
STRONG support for the planned Civic Complex and theatre on the edge of Calverley Grounds came from businesses this week with some warning of the consequences for the town if the project does not get the green light. Firms from across the business spectrum expressed their support of the development that will cost £90million gross and has attracted strong criticism from protestors. The final decision will be taken at a full council on December 6. Typical was the comment from Hugo Fen-
wick a director at the department store bearing his name: “The council’s vision is both deliverable and urgently needed for Tunbridge Wells to reassert itself as the cultural, retail and leisure destination for the region as a whole.”
‘Millennials and Linksters want immersive and cultural experiences through their job’ On the criticism that the council is spending too much money on the initiative Markerstudy spokesperson Tanya Gerrard-White said: “The borrowing is a ‘red herring’. The plans have been costed and the finances
stack up. Indeed, we have looked at the revenue projections and if anything they are at the bottom end of the range. “We accept there will be disruption during construction, but in the end it will be worth it. “We applaud the council and hope common sense will prevail and permission will be granted for all to benefit from this exciting project.” More support came from Tom Poynter, the Group Managing Director of the Tunbridge Wells creative agency Southpaw that employs 65 people. In an open, unsolicited letter to the Times he said: I can’t tell you how hard I have
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TOY APPEAL LAUNCH Find out how you can help make children smile Page 6
NATURAL SELECTION Meet Botanica’s health and well-being gurus Page 66