Times of Tunbridge Wells 2nd May 2018

Local, National and International

Times OF TUNBRIDGE WELLS

Big business throws its weight behind the Civic Complex plans

INSIDE

Fiona Fisher

COUNCIL ELECTIONS New parties add new buzz to Thursday’s big vote Page 2

By Duncan Audsley

The borough council voted 30 to 13 in favour of advanced plans for the Civic Complex in December.

Last week both developers submitted comments as part of a planning consultation.

British Land’s Amanda Raven said: “The proposed development of a new culture hub and theatre were part of what attracted us to Tunbridge Wells.

“This will positively contribute to the community and help ensure the area is a prime cultural and leisure destination.”

Stephen Tillman, Director of Altitude, added: “As a private investor, we are acutely aware of the need for investment in new public facilities to support the economic prosperity of the town.

“In our experience Tunbridge Wells is heading in the right direction and we fully support the ambition shown by this planning application as further evidence of a thriving and enjoyable future for the town.”

MAIN IMAGE: Rose Bainbridge. INSET: Facebook

LEADING firms have come out in support of the Tunbridge Wells Civic Complex and theatre project.

Developers British Land, who are buying Royal Victoria Place, said the £90million plan was ‘part of what attracted’ them into the town.

And Altitude, who are building shops, restaurants and apartments on the old cinema site, also expressed their support.

Opposition party, Tunbridge Wells Alliance commented: “These businesses will not be paying for the project via a £77million loan, service and community support group cuts and waste charges.”

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Wednesday May 2 | 2018

RUNAWAY SUCCESS Marking four years of the popular parkrun Page 3

CRIME SCENE: Police erected a black forensic tent outside the Crowborough home where the body of Fiona Fisher was found

Beauty shop manager’s son

pleads not guilty to her murder

By William Mata will@timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk TRIBUTES have been paid to 51-year-old Tunbridge Wells shop manager Fiona Fisher, whose death has sparked a murder investigation.

Thomas Fisher, 22, reportedly her son, was charged with murder after Ms Fisher was found dead inside her Crowborough home on Friday [April 27].

He pleaded not guilty in Hove Crown Court yesterday [Tuesday, May 1] to murder and the additional charges of fraud, driving while disqualified and driving without insurance.

Thomas Fisher will now stand trial from September 17, a process set to take six to eight days.

Fiona Fisher was Assistant Manager at L’Occitane, a beauty shop in Royal Victoria Place.

A statement yesterday [Tuesday] from the firm read: “We are deeply saddened by the loss of our friend and previous co-

‘There are no words to explain the love felt for her’ Statement from family worker, Fiona Fisher.

“Our thoughts are with her family and friends during this most difficult time.”

Ms Fisher’s family also released a statement: “Fiona will be sadly missed by her daughter Megan [who is 20], her mother Dorothy and stepfather Les, as

well as her father.

“There are no words to explain the love those around her felt for her, she is irreplaceable.

“At this time we would please hope that everyone could respect our privacy and allow her friends and family to grieve.”

Sussex Police arrested Thomas Fisher, of no fixed address, after being called to Lordswell Lane, Crowborough, and said they were ‘not seeking anyone else about the incident’.

Officers went to the five bed Victorian property, said to be worth more than £750,000, around 7.20pm on Friday ‘in response to a welfare check’.

Officers have been at the address over

Continued on page 2

PARTNER IN CRIME

Meet writer Ian Rankin at Chiddingstone event Page 52

TALKING ITALIAN

Chef Gennaro Contaldo on his new cookbook Page 60

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Local News

Neighbours shocked by news Continued from page 1 the weekend and set-up a black forensic tent outside the doorway.

Neighbours told reporters they were ‘shocked’ to hear the news and that Ms Fisher was a ‘private person’.

One said: “She kept very much to herself. I know she was trying to sell the property for a year, or so. I hadn’t seen An image on Ms Fisher’s her since before Facebook page Christmas.”

Ms Fisher was said to have parted from her exhusband Ian, 52, a hedge fund sales director, and had entered into a relationship with another man. It is understood that her ex-husband runs a company at Dunsfold Park in Surrey offering services to the owners of supercars. The BBC’s Top Gear programme is based at the site.

Her Facebook page lists her relationship status, however, as single. She is also listed as a director in a flat management firm.

Ms Fisher had lived in the property, known as Queensbury, since 2000. Lordswell Lane is more than a mile from Crowborough centre and might have proven a harder place to sell a house because of access and parking.

Another neighbour said: “This is such a sleepy hollow, we are in a state of disbelief something like this could happen.

“I didn’t know the woman well, but she was always pleasant and friendly.”

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New parties hope to ruffle feathers at council election

By William Mata will@timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk POLLING stations will open tomorrow [Thursday] for one of the most intriguing Tunbridge Wells Borough Council elections in years.

There are 16 seats being contested with one third of the council places being decided.

While the ruling Conservative Party will not lose their overall control, the makeup of the 48-seat council could be shaken up by the outcome.

Labour and the Liberal Democrats join the Tories on the ballot paper for every ward, while Green and UKIP parties are again standing.

Majority Intriguingly, 2018 is the first election that will be contested [in some wards] by Tunbridge Wells Alliance and the Women’s Equality Party.

Central to the discussion is the ambition of the Conservative-led authority to build the £90million Civic Complex and theatre on land bordering Calverley Grounds.

Although the proposal has been backed by the majority of Tories, it has been met by opposition

David Jukes, Conservative

RESPECTS: Flowers outside Fiona Fisher’s house

CONTACTS EDITORIAL DIRECTOR RICHARD MOORE richard@timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk | 01892 779615 DEPUTY EDITOR EILEEN LEAHY eileen@timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk | 01892 576037 CHIEF REPORTER WILLIAM MATA will@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

16 Lonsdale Gardens, Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN1 1NU

from all other parties.

Some have described this local election as a ‘referendum on the complex’.

Other issues that parties have been discussing on the doorstep include: Waste collection, traffic control, planning and construction and Public Space Protection Orders [see page 4 for more on this].

The Conservative Party hold 43 of the 48 seats, and will be defending all but two of the 16 up for grabs.

Borough council elections often attract a poorer turn-out, often just a third of voters, but with much at stake it is important you have your say about who governs you locally.

There is no election this year in Capel, Rusthall,

old cinema site, introduce glass recycling and a 20mph zone in St John’s. We fought for a referendum on the £90million civic development and are against a £30 brown bin charge.

The Liberal Democrats can win in Tunbridge Wells. Every Liberal Democrat councillor elected will make a difference. We work all year for local residents.

The key to the continual improvement to the borough of Tunbridge Wells is economic development and only the Conservatives can provide that.

We have already started our Five Year plan providing facilities to encourage businesses to come to Tunbridge Wells, to not only provide housing, but also employment.

We now have British Land taking over the Royal Victoria Place, Berkeley Homes building more than 1,000 homes, Altitude on the old cinema site and Dandara on the old Union House site.

It is Conservative policies that have encouraged these companies to come to Tunbridge Wells and stay.

Martin Betts, Labour

Gillian Douglass, Liberal Democrats

Bob Atwood, Tunbridge Wells Alliance

You may ask yourself ‘Why bother voting in Thursday’s local election?’ The Liberal Democrats are not promising to solve all of the problems locally, but we aren’t afraid of getting stuck in and making

change happen.

We put pressure on the council to demolish the

Frittenden & Sissinghurst and Goudhurst & Lamberhurst wards. Nor is there a vote for Tonbridge & Malling Borough Council.

The results…

The votes will not be counted until Friday [May 3] with results being announced around lunchtime at Putlands Sports and Leisure Centre in Paddock Wood. You can keep up to date with those results and what’s happening by visiting our website theknow.guide Where is my nearest polling station?

There are 45 polling stations across Tunbridge Wells, open from 7am to 10pm on Thursday [May 3].

Or to find the address online, visit www. tunbridgewells.gov.uk/council/voting-and-elections Alternatively, the Elections Team at the borough council can be contacted on [01892] 554024.

In their own words: Candidates make a final appeal to readers ALL seven parties contesting the election were asked by the Times to provide 100 words on why they think they should have your vote.

A respective spokesman for six of the parties replied and their responses appear unedited below.

For the full list of candidates, visit theknow. guide online and search ‘candidates’.

Wednesday May 2 | 2018

Labour is the only genuine alternative to the Conservatives at this election. We came second in the General Election - the Lib Dems trailed a poor third. This election is the opportunity to send a strong message to the council. Say ‘No’ to the proposed new Civic Complex and theatre. Say ‘Yes’ to change.

Concentrate on what people in the borough really care about: Providing genuinely affordable homes; investing in our villages and towns; improving roads, public transport and parking; supporting families and reducing poverty; protecting green spaces and improving the environment. Agree with us? Vote Labour on 3 May. Voters everywhere have become tired and disillusioned with party politics and politicians who simply don’t listen to them. In Tunbridge Wells, many residents have become increasingly unhappy with councillors who seem arrogant, distant and deaf to their concerns. As a result, the Tunbridge

Tory MP’s wife lends Labour a helping hand The wife of Tunbridge Wells’ Conservative MP proved a real life Good Samaritan when she helped an injured Labour supporter.

Ann Pickering was handing out leaflets in Claremont Road when she slipped on wet paving on Sunday [April 29] and sustained a broken hip and arm.

In an unusual turn of events, Helen, the wife of MP Greg Clark, was on-hand to drive her to Tunbridge Wells Hospital A&E. But a friend told the Times that Ms Pickering didn’t drop her guard for a second and spent the journey voicing her views to Mrs Clark.

Wells Alliance party was born, consisting of like-minded individuals who have rejected political connections in order simply to focus on the needs of residents. We are opposed to the council’s irresponsible and unaffordable theatre project, and our aim is to put an end to this and other ill thought out developments, concentrating instead on essential core services.

Liz Orr, Women’s Equality Party [WE]

The Women’s Equality Party cares about the fabric of this town and its people. We must rethink the Civic Centre project when so many have unmet care needs, services are being cut and council tax is rising. WE want carers raised to the top of the agenda and believe it’s time for social care to be properly funded by Westminster. WE will push for fully funded nurseries and before and after school clubs, so parents have real choice about work and family life and we can close the gender pay gap. Vote WE for fairer services for everyone.

Trevor Bisdee, Green Party

The Green Party is the only party that stands up for the environment. Green councillors are renowned for standing up for local issues, speaking truth to power. TWBC is controlled by one party, we need a more balanced council. By electing a Green councillor to Paddock Wood you know you will have someone who will represent your views and stand against a council that wants to spend your money on a vanity project that has little benefit to our community.

UKIP is also standing candidates in the election, although no response had been received from them at the time of going to press.

CLARIFICATIONS AND CORRECTIONS HERE at Times local newspapers we strive to deliver fair, accurate and balanced reports. When we don’t meet our own high standards we will accept the responsibility and publish clarifications and corrections.

If you would like to make a comment on any aspect of the newspaper, please write to the editor at 16 Lonsdale Gardens, Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN1 1NU, or email newsdesk@timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk Markerstudy Leisure is a trading name of One Media and Creative UK Limited registered in England and Wales under company number 5398960 with registered office at 45 Westerham Road, Sevenoaks, Kent TN13 2QB.

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IF YOU DON’T VOTE TOMORROW… THE people of Tunbridge Wells have an opportunity tomorrow [Thursday] to make their views known on a number of issues, including the controversial plans to spend £90million on a new Civic Complex and theatre.

Seven political parties have put forward candidates to contest seats at the borough council elections. Six of them are against the initiative: Liberal Democrats, Labour, TW Alliance,

Greens, Women’s Equality Party and UKIP. Only the Conservative Party is in favour, although some of their members have broken ranks.

Of course, the election is more than just a vote of confidence in the Civic Complex proposal, which is why we offered all the parties a final word on their manifestos. See above.

Whatever your thoughts on the civic development, or anything else that happens in

our town, if you have the chance to vote tomorrow and you don’t exercise that right, then you can hardly complain if you don’t like what happens in your town.

There are 45 polling stations open from 7am until 10pm. And there’s one near you.

Editorial Director, Richard Moore

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Plan to demolish car park near Complex

Travel pass extended FROM next week young people with a Kent County Council Young Person’s Travel Pass can ride for free during more hours.

Arriva bus services will become free for pass holders in the evening, during the holidays and at weekends. It is currently only available from 6am to 7pm on weekdays.

New address for group BUSINESS group Royal Tunbridge Wells together has moved from their Ely Court office to a new address opposite Camden Centre.

Their new Market Square office is still within Royal Victoria Place. Telephone numbers and email addresses remain unchanged.

Full house for Paloma TICKETS for Paloma Faith’s concert at Bedgebury Pinetum have sold out. The Brit Award-winning singer is playing on Friday, June 15, as she tours her fourth album The Architect.

However, fans of Paul Heaton and Jacqui Abbott still have a chance to see the duo perform on Saturday, June 16.

Heaton [formerly of The Housemartins] and Abbott [The Beautiful South] will be supported by singer Billy Bragg.

Both concerts have been organised by the Forestry Commission and income generated will help the sustainability of forests.

Tickets cost £33.50 and can be bought from www.forestry.gov.uk/music

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Contract for collector of food waste set to be named by council

NEWS IN BRIEF

FULL planning permission is being sought to demolish the car park at the Great Hall Arcade on Mount Pleasant Road.

As part of the bid, Tunbridge Wells Borough Council is also seeking permission to flatten the dental surgery and toilets inside Calverley Grounds.

This is to make way for the planned Civic Complex and theatre, for which the borough council is seeking planning permission.

The plans will be seen by the authority’s planning committee on Wednesday, May 9.

Residents wishing to register to speak at this meeting have less than one week to do so, with the deadline set at 4pm on Tuesday, May 8.

To view and comment on the plans visit www.tunbridgewells.gov.uk/residents/ planning and search with the reference number 18/00076/FULL

Local News

By Duncan Audsley newsdesk@timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk

OFF TO A FLYING START Royal Tunbridge Wells parkrun

More than a walk in the park as hundreds complete birthday run

By William Mata will@timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk THE course hasn’t changed, it is still 5km long and Dunorlan Park’s infamous hill remains just as steep.

But Royal Tunbridge Wells parkrun, a free weekly event to encourage running and fitness opportunities, has come a long way in its four year history.

At the latest count, 5,148 different runners had crossed the line with the average runner completing the course six times.

And, on Saturday [April 28] the balloons were out for the 199th edition, which marked the event’s fourth birthday. There are parkrun courses all over the country.

Remote William Benson, Chief Executive of Tunbridge Wells Borough Council, spoke at the start and praised the scores of volunteers who make the event possible every week.

Judy Guest, who has been Volunteer Coordinator since day one, said: “We started with just a few people, to see who would come, and it has increased and increased.

“The community part of it is unbelievable.

Some of those who come are from running clubs, but others are trying it for the first time.

“It is a lovely family event. There is an 86-yearold man who runs and there is another man in his 70s who cycles from Langton Green to take part.

“I have never left there not smiling.”

The parkrun is free, open to anyone and has a non-competitive focus. All runners sign-up online and print off a barcode. This must be presented at the end to receive a time.

There were several first timers among the 227 who finished on Saturday, and a few tourists who

had come from as far as Whitstable to take part.

A special cake was presented while local companies donated food for a post-run buffet and a special raffle was held.

“It went very well, there was a lot going on,” Ms Guest continued. “It was totally volunteer driven and it was a good team.

“We get about 200 runners usually. We are never going to be huge because we are quite remote and not near a station.”

Jamie Bryant crossed the line first in 16min 48 and the first female finisher was Sonja King in 23min 04.

WHICH IS THE HARDEST LOCAL PARKRUN? TALK to any local parkrunner and you’ll be told that with its grass sections, two laps and, of course, final hill, Royal Tunbridge Wells offers the toughest test.

However, statistically, runners chasing a personal best might have better luck at the Dunorlan Park course than in Tonbridge.

Data shows the average finishing time in Tonbridge is 29minutes 09 and in Tunbridge Wells it is 29minutes 06.

Both of these compare favourably to Bedgebury Pinetum, where the average time is 30minutes 06, and Malling, where the average time is 29minutes 25.

Tonbridge is relatively flat and only one circuit but does have a u-turn section that causes runners to lose momentum.

It does also boast a faster course record for both men (15minutes 17) and women (16minutes 38) than Royal Tunbridge Wells, where the respective best times are 16minutes 12 and 18minutes 51.

A CONTRACT for a new food waste collecting service in Tunbridge Wells is to be decided this month.

Tenders have until Tuesday [May 8] to submit a bid to provide the service, which will see householders given a new free bin for discarded food waste.

Tunbridge Wells Borough Council is to make a decision on the tender before June.

The service would begin in March next year.

This is part of the authority’s new waste scheme, which was revealed by the Times in November to include an opt-in payment for garden waste collection.

Town Hall stands to save £3million a year by entering the West Kent Joint Waste Project with neighbouring authorities.

“Putting the right waste in the right place will help improve recycling performance in Tunbridge Wells.”

It is estimated the opt-in fortnightly collection of garden waste would cost £30 a year.

This service is currently free.

There would also be doorstep glass recycling added.

When the announcement was made in November, council leaders hailed the move as an opportunity to ‘reduce the cost of food and garden waste disposal’.

A spokesman from the borough council said: “Putting the right waste in the right place will help improve recycling performance in Tunbridge Wells and reduce costs for the council.”

Critics said the change could leave residents with rubbish ‘piling up’.

Details of the contract are likely to be finalised next month, at which point details of any charges are likely to be known.

Tunbridge Wells would join borough councils from Tonbridge & Malling and Dartford by entering the West Kent Joint Waste Project.

Kent County Council is backing the proposals as part of their ambitions to put in place separate collections of discarded food on a weekly basis in all districts by 2020 to reduce the cost of food and garden waste disposal.

OUT WITH THE OLD How the new bins could look

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Wednesday May 2 | 2018

Royal honour for children’s clothing firm Chief Executive Michele HarrimanSmith said: “We are very proud to be recognised with the International Trade Award and look forward to continuing to operate internationally and growing our amazing team here in Tunbridge Wells.”

By Duncan Audsley newsdesk@timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk

ONE of the biggest employers in Tunbridge Wells is to receive The Queen’s Award for Enterprise in the International Trade category.

Childrensalon, whose headquarters are in Kingstanding Way, was named among the winners as part of the monarch’s birthday honours on Saturday, April 21.

They are due to receive the award at an event in Buckingham Palace in June, which will include a reception hosted by Prince Charles.

Opportunity

PALACE DATE Michele Harriman-Smith

Landslide vote gives go ahead for crackdown on antisocial behaviour

By William Mata will@timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk TOUGH new powers to combat antisocial behaviour have been given the final green light after a long and contested process.

Tunbridge Wells Borough Council voted 33 against two [with six abstaining] in a meeting on Wednesday [April 25] in favour of the Public Space Protection Orders.

As a last resort, the measures will give council and police officers ‘teeth’ to crack down on a range of antisocial behaviour issues.

These relate to: Dog fouling, dog control, use of new psychoactive substances, public drinking, playing of amplified music and, controversially,

begging and rough sleeping.

Officers will have powers to give a fixed penalty notice, to a maximum value of £100, for those seen to not comply with an order.

When the idea was publicised in October, it was greeted with outrage in some quarters with a fear that society’s most vulnerable could be fined.

Encourage A petition titled ‘Tell Tunbridge Wells Borough Council No to Fines on Begging’ had, at the last count, gathered 6,286 signatures.

But public opinion changed over the course of the council’s consultation with the authority seeking to clarify the plan was to stop ‘professional begging’.

The company, which employs 319 staff, sells clothing for 0 to 16 year olds and has had a successful past 12 months with a host of other accolades.

The Sunday Times named Childrensalon as number 45 on its top 50 Best Companies to Work For. It was

A spokesman said: “The order is not a way to target homeless people. Staff will be fully trained and will have discretion about how they enforce this condition.

“The idea behind this is to encourage genuinely homeless people to engage with agencies who can provide help and assistance.”

Cllr David Jukes, Leader of the council’s ruling Conservative group, referenced the results of their consultation in Wednesday’s meeting.

These stated 64 per cent of respondents were in favour of a need to ‘address antisocial behaviour associated with rough sleepers’ and 66 per cent were ‘in favour of plans to address antisocial behaviour related to begging’.

Cllr Jukes told the chamber: “We are here to represent the people and if we don’t, we get it wrong again.”

Cllr Peter Lidstone, proposed an amendment to remove prohibitions to begging and rough sleeping, which was quashed in a named vote by 33 votes to five.

The Liberal Democrat said: “If we vote this

also shortlisted for the Digital Drapers Awards in three categories.

The company was selected by accountants PricewaterhouseCoopers in their GREAT Network and made a record £80million turnover.

Childrensalon maintains a shopfront in Tunbridge Wells High Street but their main focus is now online and the company has been based in Kingstanding Way, off North Farm, since 2010.

Ms Harriman-Smith opened the offices to the press in March and revealed what she thought made the company successful.

“We treat every customer as one of our family and believe every mistake is an opportunity to learn,” she told the Times.

through we are giving contract staff the ability to issue fines for homelessness and begging.

“I do not share a confidence they will deal with nuance over complex issues.”

Fellow Lib Dem Ben Chapelard riled some Tory members by asking: “Is this social cleansing through the back door?”

Labour Cllr Graham Munn said: “There will be some who are shy and will not come forward.

“They may have certifiable fear and my concern is that we are putting pressure on them and could lead to them sleeping rough in unsafe places.”

The motion was carried, however, with a large majority of the Conservative members backing the scheme.

Tory member Cllr David Reilly said: “It breaks my heart to see people who were fighting for our country out on the streets, but we are talking about the antisocial elements and it needs to be dealt with.”

A number of councillors abstained, while Norfolk-based Conservative Cllr Peter Bulman had left the meeting before the vote was taken.

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Figures reveal which wards are hit the hardest by an increase in crime

By William Mata will@timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk RISING crime levels in Tunbridge Wells have been felt most in Sherwood and Culverden wards, data has shown.

Overall, the number of crimes reported in the town rose 24.7 per cent in the 12 months up to November 2017 but the borough still keeps its tag as statistically the safest in Kent.

The figures were seen by Tunbridge Wells Borough Council in a meeting on Wednesday [April 25].

These included latest documents showing ward by ward figures for residential burglaries, criminal damage, shoplifting, violence and antisocial behaviour, recorded from April 2017 to November 2017.

Picture Although Sherwood and Culverden were not top of the list for all areas of crime, the wards consistently posted some of the leading figures.

The report stated: “Sherwood and Brenchley & Horsmonden [with 21 and 22 incidents respectively] recorded the highest number of residential burglaries.

“Culverden and Sherwood [both with 67 incidents] saw the highest number of criminal damage reports with Southborough & High Brooms ward next, with 57.

“Shoplifting is expectedly higher in town wards than other areas, with Park and Culverden wards at 100 and 57, respectively. Sherwood, which includes North Farm and Knights Park, also saw a high number of shoplifting events at 78.”

The highest wards for violent crime [which includes violence against the person, robbery and sexual offences] were Park [238], Culverden

BURGLARIES Sherwood amongst the highest

[234] and Sherwood [196], with Southborough and High Brooms not far behind on 170.

In terms of antisocial behaviour, 198 reports were recorded for Sherwood with Culverden on 154 and Park on 124.

There was no data to show if crime had gone up ward by ward.

The report added: “High numbers may not offer a true picture of crime in a ward.”

The Community Safety Partnership plan will see the authority combine with Kent County

Council, Kent Police and Kent Fire and Rescue to look at ways to combat crime.

The partnership’s priorities for 2018/19 will be: Domestic abuse, road safety, safeguarding [which encompasses gangs, organised crime, modern slavery and child sex exploitation] and alcohol and drug abuse.

To address these priorities, the body will engage with local agencies to work out a plan. For example local domestic abuse charity DAVSS has been commissioned to provide programmes to help sufferers.

Matthew Scott, Police and Crime Commissioner for Kent, has pledged a 10 per cent increase in funding to the partnership and will now spend £31,332.

In the council meeting, Cllr Paul BarringtonKing said: “We continue to be the safest place in Kent and this plan is the right thing to do, with the right priorities.”

Members were heartened by news that Tunbridge Wells remains the statistically the safest place in the county. Across Kent, there was a 27 per cent rise in crime reports between October 2016 and September 2017.

ENFORCED Kent Police attend an incident

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DIGGER LAND Work continues at St John’s Road in Tunbridge Wells

Work underway on new Shell garage and Waitrose store CONSTRUCTION work is progressing to refurbish the Shell petrol station on St John’s Road in Tunbridge Wells.

Diggers and bulldozers have been working at the forecourt which has been shut since January and is set to reopen in July.

Shell announced in March that Waitrose products would be stocked in the rebuilt service station, following long-time speculation that the supermarket would move in.

At the time, a spokesman said: “Waitrose has reached a supply agreement with Shell for its St John’s Road forecourt store in Tunbridge Wells.

“The retailer will provide around 600 products in a dedicated section of the existing Shell site, which will comprise around two thirds from its own label ranges with the remainder consisting of some of its most popular brands.”

Motorists can still access the BP garage next door, which stocks Marks & Spencer brand food.

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BUSINESS

Times Business Awards

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Award-winners continue to celebrate past wins ahead of this year’s event HEADLINE SPONSOR

Three previous winners of the Times Business Awards reveal how they have benefitted from the prestigious accolades. TV personality Michael Portillo is the VIP guest at this year’s ceremony, to be held at Salomons Estate on June 13. Businesses have until midnight on Wednesday, May 16, to enter.

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LOCAL NEWSPAPERS

Times

HAT do The Right Tuition Company, website developer Studio 44 and taxi firm Castle Cars all have in common? This diverse trio of companies have all been winners at past Times Business Awards ceremonies, and believe the exposure and networking opportunity has given their companies a significant boost.

This week, they all told our website theknow.guide why they would encourage firms not to miss out on their chance to enter the 2018 edition. This year the event will be hosted by former minister The Rt Hon Michael Portillo at Salomons Estate on Wednesday, June 13.

Businesses in Tunbridge Wells, Tonbridge, Sevenoaks and Malling are all invited to enter any of the ten categories.

There are three ways to get involved: 1) Go to www.timesbusinessawards.co.uk, let us have a few background details and we’ll send you an application form that takes a few minutes to complete.

2) Send an email to: info@ timesbusinessawards.co.uk with your contact details and we’ll send you an application form.

3) Or you can simply call awards organiser Lara Milan on 01892 739764.

2018

business awards

The timeframe…

The closing date for entries to the Times Business Awards 2018 is midnight Wednesday, May 16. Each category will be shortlisted to three entries. Shortlisted candidates will be notified by email on Friday, May 18. Winners will be announced at the gala dinner. Tickets are available priced at £95 per person or £850 for a table of ten.

Numbers are limited, and in the previous two years the award ceremonies were a sell-out.

To book tickets call Lara Milan on 01892 739764 or email info@timesbusinessawards.co.uk

HEADLINE SPONSOR

Where do you display your award?

It has prime position on our front desk.

The Right Tuition Company THE RIGHT TUITION COMPANY NEW BUSINESS OF THE YEAR WINNER, 2017 What did winning a Times Business Award mean for your company?

It was wonderful for our company to receive recognition for the service that we provide to the local community. It is a major decision, for any parent or guardian, to entrust us with the responsibility of aiding their child’s educational development. Winning the award has lent substance to our already-established, fantastic reputation as a provider of rigorous, fun and engaging supplementary learning.

Other than winning your award, what was your favourite part of the night?

It was a pleasure to meet other people from local businesses. Seeing others being recognised for their valuable contribution to the business community within Tunbridge Wells was a genuine joy. Meeting new people, listening to them and learning about what they do is one of the best and most enjoyable parts of running a business.

Why should other businesses enter the awards?

The awards offer a brilliant opportunity to advertise the business that you are so passionate about. More importantly, as a business-owner, it was fantastic for my staff to receive such formal recognition for all the hard work, dedication and expertise that they offer. It unites the workforce and allows all to share collectively in the joy of winning an esteemed award. It’s local recognition for local people!

STUDIO 44 CREATIVE BUSINESS OF THE YEAR, 2016 What did winning a Times Business Award mean for your company?

Winning the Times Business Award and becoming an award-winning agency hugely underpinned our credentials, and has been extremely well received by both current and prospective clients.

We directly received enquiries and won new clients as a result of the award, and got some excellent press coverage, too, so it was fantastic for our brand.

Other than winning your award, what was your favourite part of the night?

The night itself was very entertaining, and was a useful networking event as we made some very good connections.

Why should other businesses enter the awards?

It’s a highly respected local award and a real feather in the cap of any business that wins. So, to any business looking to enter the awards, we would say it’s very worthwhile!

CASTLE CARS BEST SMALL BUSINESS WINNER, 2017 What did winning a Times Business Award mean for your company?

Winning an award is always a boost for a company and recognition of the hard work put in by the staff. The award from the Times of

Studio 44

Castle Cars with sponsor Childrensalon and VIP guest Ken Bruce Tonbridge was particularly special as we were chosen by people who know our company personally, not just from reading the marketing!

We now use the award in all advertising, and find that it is a very powerful tool. If you are looking for a new company, the one with the awards is the one that stands out from the crowd.

Other than winning your award, what was your favourite part of the night?

We had a fantastic night at the awards. It was a great evening to mix with other like-minded businesses, and the bonus of the opportunity to strut our stuff on the dance floor!

Why should other businesses enter the awards?

I would recommend the awards to any business.

The rewards for the increase in morale, and the advertising potential are more than worth it.

Wednesday May 2 | 2018

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Times Business Awards

“I have had waiting lists for every event and have built up a contact list of around 600 businesses.

“I had no idea what to expect when I stumbled into it. But we are getting around 23 stalls every time, and together they once made a revenue of £17,000.”

Another side to the business is a supplementary magazine, also called Support Local, which has been available for free from street dispensers since September.

Mrs Marshall said the title has been a hit and helped promote the brand off the back of her pop-up events.

Success has come through hard work for the mother-of-one, who was previously in finance.

She said it was having a poorly baby that led her to reconsider her career options as she did not want to go back to her previous job.

‘This is the first time I have entered an awards of any kind’

RISING STAR Support Local founder Hope Marshall

… And why Hope is dreaming of following in their footsteps COMPANY: Support Local COMPANY TYPE: Pop-up shop and magazine CATEGORY: Young Entrepreneur of the Year WHAT started out as a good idea has become a successful business for Young Entrepreneur of the Year candidate Hope Marshall, as she told Times Chief Reporter William Mata.

Through her Support Local brand, Mrs Marshall has allowed businesses in Tunbridge Wells and

beyond to showcase their products in a regular pop-up shop.

The young mum started the events as a one-off at One Warwick Park Hotel last year, and had such a good reaction that she has turned it into a business based at the Tunbridge Wells venue.

Now the 27 year old is hosting one event a month, with extra events during November and December.

“It has been going really well,” she said.

Now she has enjoyed a successful first year and hopes to cap it off at the Times Business Awards, where she has entered the Young Entrepreneur of the Year category.

“I think I should be more proud of myself than I am because the business has done really well, but I am my own worst critic,” she continued.

“Now I am looking to take someone on. I am looking for the right person, and that is really key, I need someone to understand what we are about.

“Having another member of staff would be my next goal as I am working seven days a week from home.”

On the awards, she added: “This is the first time I have entered an awards of any kind, and I liked the sound of this category. I had not seen a ‘young entrepreneur’ option before.

“It would be amazing to win, but I wanted to come because I think it will be a great event.”

“I want to say thank you to all of the small businesses that have supported me, as I would be nothing without them.”

BUSINESS

THE AWARD CATEGORIES Start-Up Business Award

Service Excellence Award

Creative Business of the Year

Family Business of the Year

Employee of the Year

Best Business for 1-25 Employees

Young Entrepreneur of the Year Business Person of the Year

Best Business 25+ Employees Outstanding Business of the Year

To register and to receive an application form, please email info@timesbusinessawards.co.uk or go to www.timesbusinessawards.co.uk to find out more

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Purple Star for brave Justin after long battle with cancer

By Andy Tong

FAIRY TALE: The princesses spread some joy on the children’s ward at Tunbridge Wells Hospital

Princesses make dreams come true for children on hospital Hedgehog Ward LOCAL entertainment company Once Upon A Wish Events have sprinkled a little magic at Tunbridge Wells Hospital.

Five of their fairy-tale princesses hosted an Easter party for the children, parents and play leaders of the Hedgehog Ward.

The children enjoyed a variety of activities, such as face painting, glitter tattoos, games, stories, songs and dancing – as well as a princess etiquette lesson.

The Tunbridge Wells-based firm were able to put on the event free of charge thanks to generous donations from local businesses.

These included Firefly Dance School, Pure Sports Coaching, Joe the Barbers in Southborough, Tesco in Pembury, Wood & Pilcher estate agents, Harlequin Forest pre-school and Aztec Flooring.

Once Upon A Wish Events owner Jessica Nelson said: “We were overwhelmed with donations, and were honoured to have hosted such a special event and help make wonderful memories for the children.”

A MAN from Tunbridge Wells was awarded a ‘Purple Star’ by Pancreatic Cancer UK [PCUK] before he died in recognition of his outstanding fundraising activities on behalf of the charity and his support for fellow sufferers.

Justin Standen, who passed away in March aged 50, was diagnosed with the condition in 2013, and was told that his life expectancy would be six to 12 months.

But he defied the odds for more than four years, and dedicated his time to raising awareness of the disease, which has a very low survival rate, and money to support research.

Sharing He and his wife Caroline raised more than £15,000 for cancer charities, even though Justin had to undergo major surgery and 60 chemotheraphy treatments.

Mrs Standen recalled: “While at the hospital, he helped other patients by sharing his experiences of the treatments and helping them with their fears.”

She cited one example: “He explained the benefits of having a port fitted at the top of his chest used to administer the drugs as opposed to using a vein in his arm.”

Mr Standen refused to let the condition affect his enjoyment of life,

NOBLE LEGACY: Justin and Caroline Standen with the Purple Star award and kept playing for Rusthall Cricket Club, following his favourite rugby team, Worcester Warriors, and working on his allotment.

“We loved to travel and put a pin on the map for each place we visited,” said Mrs Standen. “We would not let this disease get the better of us and stop us exploring the world.

“Justin was determined to live life to the full where possible. He showed great courage and dignity through all the four and half years of his illness. I am so proud of him.”

Mr Standen, who worked for Schroders asset management company in the City, also joined the PCUK Development Fund Board,

Wednesday May 2 | 2018

which is trying to raise £10million over three years.

In the last week of his life, Mr Standen was awarded the Purple Star in Guy’s Hospital.

He received the prestigious accolade in recognition of his unfailing commitment to make a difference to the lives of people affected by pancreatic cancer.

Diana Jupp, PCUK’s Chief Executive, presented him with the award in March.

She told the Times: “Justin was a true inspiration who made an enormous impact at Pancreatic Cancer UK with his unwavering support over the last few years.

“We all miss him hugely. Optimistic, down to earth and resilient, he generously gave his time and energy to our charity to make a real difference to others affected by this tough cancer.”

She added: “He bravely shared his experience of diagnosis and treatment, playing a vital role in helping us spread the word about the disease.

“Justin leaves a noble legacy here at the charity, and his memory will always be an inspiration for us as we continue to take on pancreatic cancer together.”

The Standens’ fundraising efforts will continue even after his death, with an event being held at the Simon Dickinson Art Gallery in London next month, followed by a dinner in the Channel Islands later in the summer.

Pancreatic Cancer UK funds innovative research to change how the disease is diagnosed and treated.

For more information, visit www.pancreaticcancer.org.uk

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THE Derwent Day Centre at Tonbridge Baptist Church celebrated its 15th anniversary last month with a celebratory concert.

The group’s aim is to combat loneliness and support elderly people by developing friendships and providing fun and stimulating days out.

More than 100 people attended the event and were entertained by the Hartlip Singers, who sang a repertoire of songs ranging from opera to pop.

Members, their families, staff and volunteers were joined by the Mayor and Mayoress, Roger and Hazel Dalton, and Nicolas Heslop, Leader of Tonbridge & Malling Borough Council.

Liz Ford, the Day Centre’s Manager, said: “It was fantastic to celebrate together the way the Day Centre is transforming the lives of so many.

England’s finest gives pupils in Rusthall a sporting chance

Coaching He spoke to the students about his achievements and answered their questions about how he became involved in the sport and what he has learnt from his career at the top of the game.

He then joined Year 4 and 5 pupils for a practice match in the playground, giving them coaching

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Derwent Day Centre is on song to celebrate 15th birthday party

TAKING GUARD Alastair Cook receives a guard of honour in the school hall

CRICKET legend Alastair Cook visited Rusthall St Paul’s Primary School last week to launch the charity Chance to Shine’s National Cricket Week.

England’s highest Test run-scorer and former captain was welcomed into the school hall by a guard of honour.

Community News

tips and helping them to develop their skills.

Mr Cook said: “It’s been brilliant to be here.

Throughout my career I have learnt a huge amount from the sport and I hope that all these children will develop a lifelong love for cricket.”

“Chance to Shine are working tirelessly to give children the opportunity to play the sport and to receive the benefits, like teamwork, resilience and communication, that will benefit them for life.”

Chance to Shine provides all schools that want to take part in Yorkshire Tea National cricket week, which runs from June 18-22, with free digital resources to inspire pupils to take up the sport.

For more information, visit www.chancetoshine.org/ncw_signups

“We had a wonderful afternoon.”

One of the members of the Day Centre said: “I can’t wait for Wednesdays and Thursdays to come round. Everyone is so kind and understanding.

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world. There is never a dull moment, lots of new and varied ideas – games, music, visiting speakers.

“You are never too old to learn new things and have fun!”

The Derwent Day Centre meets at Tonbridge Baptist Church on a Wednesday and Thursday from 10am to 3.15pm.

For more information, contact Liz Ford or Julie Hill on 01732 352824, email: liz.ford@tonbridgebaptist.church or visit www.derwentdaycentre.org.uk SLICE OF LIFE Julie Hill (back, left) and Liz Ford prepare to cut the birthday cake with the residents

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Groundhog moment for MP back at depot for another launch event

FIRST LAUNCH: Mr Clark (sixth from right) visited the facility a month ago to welcome new bus timetables

By Duncan Audsley MUCH like a bus service, two opportunities came along in succession for Greg Clark to use his ribbon cutting skills at Arriva’s new depot.

The Tunbridge Wells MP returned to Kingstanding Way, off North Farm industrial estate, on Friday, April 20, to open the bus terminus, which replaces the St John’s Road facility.

Investing It was his second visit in two months.

On March 9 he visited the new Arriva depot to launch ‘an updated bus network and new routes’. It was the first official function at the site.

On that same day, the MP, who is also the government’s Business Secretary, opened

a new zebra crossing on Major York’s Road.

After the latest engagement at the depot, Mr Clark said: “We are all absolutely delighted that Arriva decided to invest in Tunbridge Wells by building its new depot here.

“Not only does it mean that we benefit in terms of improved local bus services, but it also means more local jobs.

“Arriva is also investing in the next generation by providing apprenticeship opportunities at the new depot.”

The bus company is holding a free Family Fun Day at its new site on May 27.

Arriva has not confirmed if Mr Clark will be attending again.

DID YOU MISS ME? No two days are the same for MP Greg Clark, back at Arriva to open the depot

Police warning as phone scammers target elderly

By William Mata will@timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk

FRAUDSTERS have been targeting the vulnerable in Tunbridge Wells by impersonating a government body.

Kent Police has urged residents to be vigilant after reports of callers claiming to be from tax collectors HM Revenue and Customs [HMRC].

One Langton man is reported to have lost £2,500 to a caller.

Polly Taylor, Co-Founder of Tunbridge Wells charity the Pickering Cancer Drop-In Centre, alerted neighbours after receiving a suspicious answerphone message on Friday, April 20.

“The caller said a serious lawsuit has been filed against me and there could be hard and legal consequences,”

CONCERN: Polly Taylor, Co-Founder of Pickering Cancer Drop-In Centre, called 999 about a scam said Ms Taylor, who lives in Rusthall. “She said she was from HMRC and was very convincing.”

The caller left a number and asked to be phoned back, but Ms Taylor dialled 999 instead.

Ms Taylor said a neighbouring couple, aged 78

and 84, had spoken to the ‘officer from HMRC’ but they had not responded to a request for a call back.

Police Sergeant Andy Miller said: “These fraudsters often pretend to be from an organisation or company you trust, such as a bank, police

or other official agency.

“They are very plausible and usually know some personal information, such as your home address and date of birth. If you receive one of these calls, do not give them any additional information.

“Ask for their name and contact number and then put the phone down. You must wait at least five minutes before using your telephone in order to clear your line from the scammer.

“You should then contact the organisation they said they were representing using a number you know, such as one from your latest bill, the telephone book or from their official website.

“Speak to a family member of friend if you need any additional advice or assistance.”

An HMRC spokesperson said: “Phone scams are widely reported, and generally attempt to target elderly and vulnerable people.”

Incidents should be reported to Action Fraud 0300 123 2040

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Government bows to Tory pressure over tax havens THE Government has backed down in the face of a potential Tory rebellion to ensure Britain’s offshore tax havens are more transparent.

Foreign Office Minister Sir Alan Duncan said the Government accepted there was a majority view in the Commons to ensure British overseas territories publish details of the true owners of firms.

Consensual He insisted British overseas territories are separate jurisdictions with democratically elected governments, responsible for their fiscal matters and unrepresented in the UK Parliament.

Sir Alan added that a consensual approach with the territories would have been preferred to make the registers publicly available.

But with defeat looming and last-ditch Government amendments not selected by Speaker John Bercow for debate, Sir Alan conceded to the demands outlined in a proposal moved by Labour’s Dame Margaret Hodge and supported by some 20 Tory MPs. He said: “We do not want to legislate directly for them, nor do we want to risk damaging our long-standing constitutional arrangements which respect their autonomy.

“However, we’ve listened to the strength of feeling in this House on this issue and accept that it is without a doubt the majority view of this House that the overseas territories should have public registers ahead of it becoming the international standard, as set by the Financial Action Task Force.”

SHARING VIEWS: The EU’s chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier visits the scene of the Bloody Sunday massacre in Derry before meeting business stakeholders and cross-border groups; he said the union will consider ‘any solution’ on Brexit that would maintain the integrity of the Good Friday Agreement

PM promises to be ‘robust’ in face of Lords’ call for scrutiny

TURNED TO STONE: Ian Gartside, a stonemason at Canterbury Cathedral, with a gargoyle he designed and carved as the process begins to install eight new gargoyles – the first in more than a century

THERESA MAY pledged a ‘robust’ response to Lords defeats over Brexit amid concern from her ministers that peers were seeking to ‘thwart’ the will of the people.

At a Cabinet meeting, ministers expressed their ‘strong disappointment’ at measures passed by the Lords which risked ‘tying the Government’s hands behind its back in negotiations with Brussels’, Downing Street said.

International Trade Secretary Liam Fox has suggested peers were using a ‘backdoor mechanism’ to delay exit from the EU ‘indefinitely’.

Smooth In a blow to Mrs May’s Brexit plans, the House of Lords voted to give Parliament a decisive say on the outcome of the negotiations.

Asked about the Lords vote, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “There is a role for it to play in providing scrutiny, but the British public have voted to leave the European Union and Parliament needs to get on and deliver that.”

In an indication the Government will seek to overturn the defeat when the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill returns to the Commons, Mrs May told her Cabinet ‘the Government would be robust’, and it was ‘vital to ensure that the legislation is able to deliver the smooth Brexit which is in the interests of everybody in the UK’.

But Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn suggested his

MPs would seek to retain the extra powers for Parliament sought by the Lords, telling the BBC: “I think Parliament should have the final say on the terms of leaving the European Union, and if we don’t accept the decisions that the Government has made, then they should be sent back to negotiate again.”

Dr Fox, one of the most committed Brexiteers in Cabinet, was scathing about the Lords vote – one of three defeats on Monday night.

He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “We can’t have a situation where the clearly expressed will of the people in a referendum is thwarted by effectively procedural devices that would keep us in the EU indefinitely.”

He added: “I think there is quite a big debate now about whether the unelected House can actually thwart the view of the British electorate in a referendum and what’s been happening in terms of the legislation coming from the House of Commons.”

Dr Fox denied that a string of Parliamentary defeats being inflicted on the Government would eventually force it into accepting that the UK would have to be part of some form of customs union with the EU - something Mrs May has previously ruled out.

He said: “If we are in a customs union of any sort we will have less ability to shape Britain’s future than we have today. That is not what the public voted for.”

National News

Wednesday May 2 | 2018

will be looking to the future for Newcastle. My particular interest is in education and in health.

“There needs to be a voice for older people - about a quarter of people in their 80s and 90s are in homes or being cared for, so that leaves three-quarters who are looking after themselves.”

Miss Kirkby is a long-time member of the Carers Association and said elderly people who are not in need of urgent medical care are often isolated and in need of other kinds of support.

IN THE RUNNING Florence Kirkby

Candidate, 96, takes a stand for elderly in council elections A 96-year-old woman standing in this week’s council elections has vowed to stand up for the elderly and for teachers if she wins a seat.

Florence Kirkby, running for the Conservatives in the newly created Manor Park ward in Newcastle upon Tyne, is

believed to be one of the country’s oldest candidates.

Miss Kirkby unsuccessfully stood for election in Westerhope several years ago, but decided to try again this year because several voters asked her to.

She said: “If I am elected I

Resources “When you hear about older people [in the media] it’s usually that there are too many of them and they are absorbing all the resources of the health service,” she said. “There’s no acknowledgement about what they can contribute.”

She added: “I thought it was time there was somebody who could take a stand.”

The candidate spent her entire career in education, having first worked as an English teacher at secondary level before going on to become a headmistress of several schools.

Bun fight as McDonald’s strike starts WORKERS at five McDonald’s restaurants have walked out on strike in a dispute over pay and union recognition.

Staff in Manchester, Cambridge, Crayford, south-east London and two branches in Watford formed picket lines as part of the action.

The Bakers, Food and Allied Workers Union is seeking formal recognition from the US fast food giant as well as campaigning for a £10-an-hour minimum wage and an end to lower rates for younger workers.

MEAT AND GREET Paul Pomroy, Chief Executive of Protesters outside McDonald’s UK, pledged that McDonald’s in Manchester none of the affected stores would close, pointing out that only 11 have recently increased the starting pay rate, workers out of a total of 120,000 were involved in giving the biggest increase to younger workers.” the action.

The union insisted that more than 11 workers He added that he prided himself on listening to were taking action. staff, saying: “We survey them twice a year, and

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Syndicate of 15 nurses win £1million on Lottery FIFTEEN hospital nurses from Lanarkshire have won £1m in the National Lottery.

The syndicate at Cleland Hospital, Motherwell will each receive £66,666 after matching a Euromillions UK Millionaire Maker code.

They have been playing together for three years, their previous biggest win being £12.

Ten shortlisted for Potter HARRY POTTER and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two, has received 10 nominations for the 2018 Tony Awards, it has been announced.

The play based on the books of British author J K Rowling, which opened in Broadway in April after premiering in London’s West End in 2016, has been shortlisted for best play.

Three of its stars, Jamie Parker, Noma Dumezweni and Anthony Boyle are up for acting prizes while its director John Tiffany is also up for an award.

Last straw for Wimbledon NO PLASTIC straws will be used at this year’s Wimbledon Championships, the All England Lawn Tennis Club has announced.

Last year more than 400,000 plastic straws were used during the tournament.

In February it was estimated that the UK uses 8.5 billion straws a year, according to the Marine Conservation Society, and they are one of the top 10 items found in beach clean-ups.

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Belfast Trust says sorry as 2,500 patients are recalled THE Belfast Trust has said it is ‘truly sorry’ for having to recall 2,500 patients after a probe into the work of a consultant neurologist.

The recall comes after an independent review of patient notes relating to the work of Dr Michael Watt by the Royal College of Physicians.

The consultant is currently not treating patients, but is still an employee, the Trust said.

The patients recalled were being treated for a wide range of neurological conditions, including epilepsy and MS, and are aged 14 and up.

Dr Mark Mitchelson, medical chair of division, said: “I fully understand this will cause signifi-

cant anxiety to many patients and their families and for that we are truly sorry.

“The recall of such a large number of patients is so that we can be confident and thorough in ensuring that patients are having the best possible care.

Clinics “To ensure patients are seen as quickly as possible we have set up a large number of additional clinics and we intend to see all patients within the next 12 weeks.” The Belfast Trust said it has contacted every patient it would like to review.

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Wednesday May 2 | 2018

Trinity Mirror’s deal to buy Express titles referred to watchdog TRINITY MIRROR’S £126.7million deal to buy titles including the Daily Express and the Daily Star has been referred to Britain’s media watchdog after the Government intervened on the grounds of public interest.

Culture Secretary Matt Hancock confirmed he was stepping in amid concerns over editorial decision-making and independence, as well as the reduction in the number of views in newspapers.

His move to intervene in Trinity’s plans to acquire a string of titles from Richard Desmond’s Northern & Shell media empire has now been referred to Ofcom, while the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) must also report on jurisdiction and competition issues.

Free expression The two watchdogs have until May 31 to report back, after which Mr Hancock will decide whether to refer the takeover for an in-depth investigation or accept any moves that have been made to address concerns.

In a statement to the Commons, the Minister said: “I invited written representations from the parties by 26 April and, having considered these, I have written to the parties today confirming my decision to issue a Public Interest Intervention Notice.”

Mr Hancock added: “The first public interest ground is the need for free expression of opinion, and concerns the potential impact the transfer of newspapers would have on editorial decision-making.

“The second public interest ground is the need for a sufficient plurality of views in newspapers, to the extent that it is reasonable or practicable.”

Brazil tower block collapses after fire AN ABANDONED building of at least 20 floors occupied by squatters in Sao Paulo has caught fire and collapsed.

The fall of the former police headquarters sent fiery debris crashing into neighbouring buildings and surrounding streets. Firefighters said at least one person had been killed.

Several dozen buildings have been occupied in the Brazilian city centre by highly organised fair-housing groups which take over and then fight for ownership.

INFERNO At least 20 floors collapsed

High School father to sue armed officer THE father of a student killed in a mass shooting at a Florida high school is suing the armed officer who stood outside the building as people were massacred within.

Meadow Pollack was among the 17 killed on Valentine’s Day in a freshman building at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland.

Her father, Andrew Pollack, said Scot Peterson, the former sheriff’s deputy and the school’s resource officer, is his main target in the wrongful death lawsuit filed on Monday in Broward County.

BUSINESS IN BRIEF

Growth in borrowing is weakest for two years

SMALL FORTUNE RBS will fund ‘challenger banks’

RBS to close 162 branches that are too close together ROYAL BANK OF SCOTLAND is to close 162 branches across England and Wales, resulting in 792 job losses.

The lender, which is still 72 per cent owned by the taxpayer, said the move was linked to it not having to sell its Williams & Glyn business.

As a result, the high street group has branches in close proximity and wants to reduce overlap.

Bailout Last year, RBS avoided the compulsory sale of Williams & Glyn, a move which had been ordered by regulators as part of the bank’s obligations under state aid rules after its £45billion Government bailout at the height of the financial crisis.

Instead, RBS will put up money to be shared among so-called ‘challenger banks’ to help them compete with bigger players.

A total of 109 branches will close in late July and

August, which are within 0.6 miles of another RBS or NatWest branch. A further 53 branches will close in November 2018, all of which are less than 2.5 miles of another outlet.

An RBS spokesman said: “We are no longer launching Williams & Glyn as a challenger bank, and we now have two branch networks operating in close proximity to each other; NatWest and Royal Bank of Scotland, in England and Wales.

“As a result we have had to review our overall branch footprint in England and Wales and we’ve made the difficult decision to close a number of Royal Bank of Scotland branches.”

Customers will be able to use NatWest branches instead for their everyday banking needs.

RBS pointed out that since 2014, branch transactions across its English and Welsh operations are down 30 per cent. There has been a 53 per cent increase in mobile banking, and mobile transactions have increased by 74 per cent.

Iran calls PM Netanyahu ‘liar’ over nuclear weapons claims

Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi said claims in Mr Netanyahu’s televised speech that Iran lied about its nuclear ambitions were ‘wornout, useless and shameful’.

Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif added the Israeli intelligence was a regurgitation of claims that had already been handled by the International Atomic Energy Agency [IAEA].

On Monday Mr Netanyahu revealed what he called a ‘half-

BP boosted by oil price OIL GIANT BP has reported its best quarterly result for three years after notching up a 71 per cent rise in profits thanks to surging oil prices.

Shares briefly hit their highest level since 2010 as the firm said underlying replacement cost profits jumped to a better-than-expected $2.6billion (£1.9billion) for the first three months of 2018, up from $1.5billion (£1.1billion) a year earlier.

Chief is stepping down JOHNSTON PRESS Chief Executive Ashley Highfield has resigned for family reasons.

He agreed with the company’s board that he will not put himself up for re-election at the publishers’ annual general meeting on June 5.

Mr Highfield, who has been at the helm of the publisher since 2011 and spearheaded the acquisition of the i newspaper, will be replaced by finance chief David King.

SPORT IN BRIEF

Gerrard waits in wings as Murty’s reign ends RANGERS ended Graeme Murty’s interim reign as manager 48 hours after their record thumping by Celtic.

Ibrox chiefs have been locked in talks with Steven Gerrard for the past week.

Former Under-20s coach Murty was due to remain in charge until the end of the season after Pedro Caixinha was sacked back in October.

Sunday’s 5-0 league defeat by Celtic came just two weeks after a 4-0 thrashing

by Brendan Rodgers’ side in the Scottish Cup semi-final.

IRAN has labelled Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ‘an infamous liar’ following allegations he made about a secret Iranian nuclear weapons programme.

Israel’s claims have caused divisions among Western powers in the build-up to a decision by the United States on whether to withdraw from the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran.

Claims made in the televised speech that Iran lied about its nuclear ambitions were ‘worn-out, useless and shameful’

ANNUAL growth in households’ borrowing using personal loans, overdrafts and credit cards shrank back to its weakest levels in more than two years in March.

Consumer credit grew by 8.6 per cent annually in March - the lowest figure seen since November 2015, according to the Bank of England’s Money and Credit report.

Within consumer credit, credit card lending increased by 8.8 per cent annually in March, while other types of nonmortgage lending grew at a slower rate of 8.4 per cent annually.

F1 to help overtaking

DEAL BREAKER Benjamin Netanyahu’s claims caused divisions ton’ of nuclear documents collected by Mossad, claiming it proved Iranian leaders covered up a nuclear weapons programme before signing the deal three years ago.

President Trump says the discovery vindicated his criticism of the deal. He has signalled he will pull out of the agreement by May 12 unless it is revised, but he faces intense pressure from European allies not to do so.

Israeli officials said the information it gathered had been

shared in advance with the Americans.

The IAEA did not refer specifically to Mr Netanyahu’s allegations but quoted its 2015 report which said it had found some activities in 2003 ‘relevant to the development of a nuclear explosive device’.

But it added that the report had also stated there was ‘no credible indications of activities in Iran relevant to the development of a nuclear explosive device after 2009’.

FORMULA ONE’S governing body hopes new rules set for next season will help make it easier for drivers to overtake.

The FIA has confirmed that aerodynamic changes will be introduced in a bid to allow cars to race closer together.

From next season cars will have a simplified front wing with a larger span, meaning less air is directed outside the wheels so the car behind can get more grip to go through corners faster.

Salah is player of year LIVERPOOL forward Mohamed Salah has been voted Footballer of the Year by the Football Writers’ Association.

The Egyptian narrowly topped the poll of the 400-strong journalists’ body ahead of Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne by less than 20 votes.

Tottenham and England striker Harry Kane was in third place.

Wednesday May 2 | 2018

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LIFESTYLE

Profile

FOR EVEN MORE NEWS VISIT thekn w.guide HOW ABOUT THE GREAT OUTDOORS? We LOVE going out for a Sunday stroll – with two young boys, they need to be exercised every day!

The places we go to most often include Birchden Wood, Broadwater Warren, The Hollies (Ashdown Forest) and Haysden in Tonbridge. Dunorlan Park is good for a short stroll as well, and sometimes we like staying local by going for a walk around Southborough Common and Birch Wood. Plus, the views from the Common outside St Peter’s Church are lovely.

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Clare LushMansell

The founder of local lifestyle and parenting blog My Tunbridge Wells reveals a few of her favourite things to see and do in the area

HOW DID YOU FIND YOURSELF LIVING IN TUNBRIDGE WELLS? We moved to Southborough eight years ago, and lived just off Grove Park in central Tunbridge Wells for three years before that. We chose Southborough as we were able to get more for our money back then, plus it’s still within walking distance to the centre of town and close to the A21, so easy to reach family in Sevenoaks and Goudhurst, and the beautiful Common and woodland, which is so close to our house.

WHERE DO YOU GO FOR A COFFEE WHEN YOU’RE OUT SHOPPING? I change my mind about this constantly, but at the moment I’ve been really enjoying going to The Earl Grey in Southborough, Kingdom in Penshurst, and The Black Dog Café in Camden Road. For shopping, I like Paperchase (love a bit of stationery!), Oliver Bonas and Fenwick – and I do often stock up on toiletries from Lush, too!

WHAT’S THE NIGHTLIFE LIKE? I think there’s a great selection of restaurants and bars around Tunbridge Wells, and like to try out different ones when I do get the opportunity to go out with friends. Some of my favourites include The Ivy (of course!), Sucheera for something spicy, and Vittle & Swig in Camden Road. Both the bar and bistro at Hotel du Vin are also fantastic, and I like Fuggles for a few casual drinks with friends.

WHERE DO YOU TAKE PEOPLE WHEN THEY COME TO VISIT YOU TO SHOW OFF THE TOWN? We often have family coming to stay from Ireland, and a visit to Tunbridge Wells always needs to include a trip to The Pantiles, and a coffee al

Wednesday May 2 | 2018

fresco if weather permits! Another good place to take them is Dunorlan Park, or Calverley Grounds is really pretty, especially when the flowers are in bloom. We normally take visitors to either Penshurst Place or Hever Castle as well – both of which I think are magnificent in their own ways – combined with a pub lunch at somewhere like The Hare, The George & Dragon in Speldhurst, or The Beacon.

Clare Lush-Mansell provides parents and grandparents in and around Tunbridge Wells, West Kent and East Sussex with inspiration for baby, toddler and children’s activities and events through her lifestyle and parenting blog, My Tunbridge Wells. To find out more, visit www.mytunbridgewells.com GOOD LIVING Tunbridge Wells and Southborough enthusiast Clare

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Wednesday May 2 | 2018

IN thekn

In the northern end of the town, Grosvenor & Hilbert Park – which is the oldest public park in Tunbridge Wells – provides lots of family fun, from regular events to Marnock Lake, the dripping wells, wooded walks and a children’s play area.

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OW that we’ve finally reached the month of May, surely it’s time to start thinking about how we can while away the coming (hopefully) warm and sunny days and nights. From drinking in the sun to getting fit in the park, here are five ways to enjoy the finer weather in Tunbridge Wells:

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SEE A FILM UNDER THE STARS Locations such as The Spa Hotel and Bewl Water show films in the great outdoors in summer, or why not head to The Moonlight Drive-In Cinema at The Hop Farm, Paddock Wood, where you can enjoy your favourite films from the comfort of your car? Perfect for warm evenings and no need for a picnic blanket.

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wABOUT PLACES TO GO

VISIT A PARK This town has a wealth of green spaces where you can head with the family or take a book and relax on your lunch break.

Right in the heart of the town you’ll find Calverley Grounds with lawns, ornamental gardens and a children’s activity area, while a little further out you’ll find the stunning Dunorlan Park, complete with boating lake and views across the Weald.

DINE AND DRINK AL FRESCO Summer is when the town really comes alive, with many restaurants opening up their terraces and gardens to allow long, lazy lunches and sunset dinners.

The Pantiles is a great place to head to on warm evenings to enjoy a drink or food outside and soak up the atmosphere – especially on Thursday jazz nights.

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SHOP OUTDOORS Tunbridge Wells is known for its fantastic shops, but when the sun’s shining there’s no better way to get your retail therapy fix than by heading to one of the town’s popular markets.

Every second and fourth Saturday of the month you’ll find the Tunbridge Wells Farmers' Market located outside the Town Hall, while on the first and third Saturdays a market takes place on The Pantiles.

Through the year there are plenty of other entertaining shopping opportunities, too, including vintage fairs and food and drink festivals.

Local Scene

LIFESTYLE

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WAYS TO ENJOY THE WARMER WEATHER IN TUNBRIDGE WELLS

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GET FIT As tempting as it might be to embrace the warmer weather by consuming nothing but ice cream, you could also use the sun as motivation to exercise outside.

In Sherwood’s Colebrook Rec there’s an outdoor gym equipped with the likes of a stepper, Tai Chi wheel and skier machine to help you get fit without an expensive gym membership, while in Southborough’s Pennington Grounds you can work out on their equipment or play tennis, basketball or volleyball.

On Saturdays in Dunorlan Park you can participate in a weekly 5km park run, or if you’re feeling really motivated, book a session with one of the town’s personal trainers.

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NEWS

Letters

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Wednesday May 2 | 2018

And another thing…

This is the page where you, the reader, have your chance to express your views or comments on what’s going on in our part of the world. We like to hear from you. You can email us at newsdesk@timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk or newsdesk@timesoftonbridge.co.uk or write to the Editor at 16 Lonsdale Gardens, Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN1 1NU Gripped by yellow line fever

LIVING SPACE What Tunbridge Wells needs are homes for young people

We need affordable housing – not the folly of Civic Complex I agree with Roy Bullock and Martin Dawes [April 18] about the potential folly of going ahead with the Civic Centre development.

We’ve been here before, overdevelopment without a clear strategy of where we are going.

Tunbridge Wells had one of the lowest housing completions in 2016-17. In 2012-13 and 2013-14, the council even showed a negative number for housing completions.

Tunbridge Wells Borough Council certainly has the lowest five and ten-year average among the 12 local authorities in Kent. Of the number of affordable houses built in 2016-17,

Labour of love not passive support How disappointing that the Liberal Democrats have had to put out a distortion of the truth in their recent campaign leaflet for Rachel Sadler, candidate in Park ward.

Throughout the campaign, candidates have tried to stick to the policy issues that they have in common or which divide them. The LibDems have now chosen to play a dirtier game.

Their recent leaflet suggests that Labour came third in the most recent local election and ‘cannot win here’. They are actually quoting the Kent County Council result for Tunbridge Wells South, an area which spreads from Rusthall to Pembury, not, as is suggested, Park ward.

Labour has, in truth, beaten the LibDems in every Park ward election since 2012, coming second to the Conservatives each time.

If there is one party likely to stop yet another passive supporter of the new Civic Complex, car park and theatre being elected, it is the Labour candidate.

Hugo Pound Chair, Tunbridge Wells Labour Party, candidate for Park ward

£93million plan that wasn’t there Imagine my astonishment when I received the Conservative election leaflet for Sherwood ward, to find that the candidate had omitted to mention the £93million Civic Complex which he has fully supported and voted for at every opportunity.

My own poll of friends and family has failed to

only 1.3 per cent were in the social rent sector.

I believe that there were none in Tunbridge Wells. This is a disgrace when young people who are looking for a home cannot find any within their price range to buy or rent.

It may suit the Leader of the Tory-controlled council to allow property developers to dictate how many affordable dwellings they build, but it comes at the expense of the ordinary resident who is left out in the planning consents granted to developers seeking profits over the community’s need for housing.

Marguerita Morton LibDem candidate for Southborough & High Brooms find a single candidate in Tunbridge Wells borough who mentions this major Conservative policy in their election literature.

I can only hope that this means they are petitioning their Leader, Cllr Jukes, to scrap this vanity project forthwith, since it is obvious that they do not consider it to be a vote winner.

The proposed new Town Hall and theatre have now become the Conservative love that dares not speak its name.

Kay Williams Tunbridge Wells

Glass half full for Town Hall Tunbridge Wells Borough Council use the excuse that to make the existing Town Hall and Assembly Hall fit for purpose would be too expensive. They think the only alternative is to destroy yet another part of town while they build a vanity project.

They need to fix what is broken rather than make a mess of somewhere else, leaving the Town Hall and Assembly Hall derelict.

Let’s face it, they have a past record of creating derelict buildings.

I suggest a giant glass box on top of the Town Hall and Assembly Hall. If Glyndebourne can do it, why not Tunbridge Wells?

This could revitalise all the services in the current building without the shocking mess they are proposing on Calverley Grounds.

Colin Walton Via email

The upper High Street in Tonbridge is a total mess. I have written several times to Tonbridge & Malling Borough Council, who at least do reply, and Kent County Council, who do not.

Parking and road marking are the issues. It seems that in the three cobbled loading bays, double yellow lines were painted, whereas the adjacent signs refer to single yellow lines.

The lines are continuous from the big bridge to Bordyke and beyond, and that whole length of yellow lines, whether single or double, are rendered illegal and unenforceable.

This has been going on now for the best part of a year and it’s getting worse. We now have to tolerate builders’ trucks and white vans blocking the footpath, the lay-bys, the bus stop and any other spot with total impunity. Traders are at their wits’ end as deliveries cannot be made.

Apparently, many more months of this will have to be endured due to lack of funds. Yet all that is needed is a can of black paint and a brush to delete one of the yellow lines in the three lay-bys. Order restored at a stroke, so to say.

Rodney Norman Tonbridge

What a lot of hot air about gas “You are entitled to your opinion. But you are not entitled to your own facts.” These words by the US Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan have a particular resonance in this era of fake news and remind us that, whatever our views, working to an accurate evidence base is essential for rational debate and political decision-making.

Edward Baker [April 4] stated ‘Much of our gas comes from Russia’ and then went on to use this as a justification for his opinion that ‘we should start fracking immediately or we will remain in thrall to unfriendly, if not hostile, states’.

In fact, according to the Department for Business, Enterprise and Industrial Strategy [BEIS], less than 1 per cent of our gas comes from Russia, so we are far from being in thrall to it.

Official figures state that the UK currently produces around 43 per cent of its own gas from North Sea and eastern Irish Sea sources.

The fact is that the UK is not in thrall to Russia, or any other single supplier, so this is not a justification for a panicked turn to fracking.

Instead of fracking, we could decrease our dependency on gas and other fossil fuels.

Not least amongst these are investment in home insulation and the introduction of passive house-building standards, both of which will help to cut our household bills into the bargain.

Howard Porter Tonbridge & Malling Friends of the Earth

Calverley

Observations on life and more important things

CONGRATULATIONS to the Middle House in Mayfield. The popular pub/ restaurant/hotel might be housed in a full-timbered 1575 building, but it operates in today’s world. While the government dithers about introducing a ban on plastic straws, the pub has taken the lead and now only offers customers delightful red and white striped paper ones.

According to the bar people who confided in Calverley (doesn’t everyone?) they were spurred on by a note left by a child who visited with his parents. It went something like: “Don’t you realise the damage you are doing to the environment handing out plastic straws?” Bully for you, kid! And bully for you, Middle House, for listening.

MANY will recall spending happy nights wining and dining (probably not the right description) at Gracelands Chinese restaurant near The Pantiles. Food was not the big attraction; it was owner Paul Chan, who nightly carried off a most entertaining impersonation of Elvis. Sadly, that all ended after a fire in 2007 caused it to close. The tradition of ethnic impersonations of Elvis, however, continue. Calverley has been advised of such appearances now at Indian restaurants – the last sighting being in Nutley.

Whatever pulls in the punters…

MOST people accept that the National Trust does a good job… most of the time. Now, though, it has shot itself in the foot. To celebrate a century since Suffragettes and Suffragists won the right to vote for many women, the Trust has produced a special souvenir for sale in its shops – an £8 purple tea towel. What next to mark women’s freedom to vote? Pretty washing-up gloves?

Maybe the irony of it all is lost on the Trust’s marketing team.

Don’t step on the stone sculptures

CAN’T resist sharing this comment that

It’s easy, the stone sculptures in Grosvenor & Hilbert Park are meant to be ironic.

They represent coprolites – giant fossilised dinosaur poo – in an ironic reference to the fresh dog poo that is deposited daily in the park, especially on the footpaths, which were put in solely for this purpose.

Hugh Masters Pembury

has just come to light, attributed to that most English of Englishmen, the Duke of Devonshire, who died in 2004 aged 85. Once chatting about his valet Harry, who’d been with him for 35 years, he declared: “People who don’t have servants don’t realise they are part of your family, they become your friends.” Oh for the chance to find out.

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

Chin Chin, readers

Education

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Wednesday May 2 | 2018

EDUCATION Times WITH THE

Pupils take centre stage again at national drama competition For the third year in a row, students from The Mead School have triumphed at a national drama contest held for the country’s independent schools At the recent Independent Schools Association [ISA] Drama Festival, budding actors from The Mead School in Tunbridge Wells were awarded one of the national contest’s top prizes.

ISA member schools from across the country perform in this annual competition, and have their performances assessed by an independent judge against set criteria.

Parody Year 6 pupils from the co-educational Mead School won The Hydesville Tower Prize for best musical production with their performance of Daisy Pulls it Off, a parody of life in an English boarding school set in the 1920s.

After their success, the young actors performed a special production at Trinity Theatre for their parents, friends and family.

The school’s Headmaster, Andrew Webster, said: “For a cast of ten and 11 year olds to put on such a professional production is quite incredible.

“Everything from the costumes to the staging to the acting and singing was of the highest

calibre, and everyone involved thoroughly deserves recognition.”

The Mead has a strong track record in drama, having won top prizes at the ISA national competition for the past two years, including the Best Junior Production in 2016 for A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and the same prize the following year for their performance of Peter Pan.

Planting the seeds of hope On Thursday, local schoolchildren from Goudhurst, Lamberhurst and Sandhurst primary schools attended a special conservation event at Bedgebury National Pinetum.

Each of the schools, which also included Downe primary, have special connections with Malawi through the Starfish Malawi charity,

Bedgebury’s Collection Manager, Dan Luscombe, said: “It’s exciting to think that schoolchildren in this country will be talking to the schools they are linked with in Malawi to tell them what we have been doing to help save their national tree.

“We hope this project will help inspire the next generation of children to better understand and know the importance of tree conservation around the world.”

and were invited to learn more about their counterparts in Africa.

During their visit, the children learnt about the plight of the country’s endangered Mulanje cedar tree, and planted wildcollected seeds. The seedlings will form part of the propagation trials for the ‘Save Our Cedar’ project.

DATE FOR YOUR DIARY: OPEN DAYS Over the next few weeks, some of our independent schools will be hosting open days for prospective pupils. Here’s what is happening where and when Beechwood Sacred Heart School May 3 9.30am-12noon www.beechwood.org.uk Claremont Preparatory and Nursery School May 11 & 12 9.30am-1pm www.claremontschool.co.uk Claremont Senior School May 12 9.30am-1pm www.claremontschool.co.uk

Marlborough House School May 12 9.30am-11.30am www.marlboroughhouseschool. co.uk The Mead School May 17 10am-12noon & 2.15pm-3.15pm www.themeadschool.co.uk Kent College May 19 8.45am-11am (Forest Explorers Morning – Prep School) www.kent-college.co.uk

Holmewood House School May 25 10am-12.30pm www.holmewoodhouse.co.uk Kent College June 9 9am-4pm (#FearlessGirls Senior School Activity Day for Year 5 and Year 7) www.kent-college.co.uk Kent College June 14 5.30pm-8.30pm (Senior School

Open Evening) www.kent-college.co.uk Hilden Grange Preparatory School June 15 9am-12noon June 19 2pm-4pm (Early Years Explore and Play Open Session) www.hildengrange. co.uk For further details of upcoming open days, please visit the school websites

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NEWS

Weekly Comment

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Greg Clark

MP for Tunbridge Wells

Wednesday May 2 | 2018

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

Use your chance to vote in borough elections TOMORROW, most residents of the borough of Tunbridge Wells will have the choice to vote for a borough councillor. I hope that everyone who can will vote. Our councillors are local people, giving their time and experience to make the Tunbridge Wells borough a great place to live for the 120,000 citizens.

They are community champions, giving up their evenings and weekends to meet with residents, businesses, charities and public bodies to make a difference to our area. Our borough councillors are part of a team and when we work together, and join forces with parish councils, town councils and Kent County Council, we can get things done.

Our Borough Council does a great job. As you may know, just 10p in every pound of council tax collected by the Borough Council is for use by them on our behalf and 90 per cent goes to Kent County Council, Kent Police, the Fire and Rescue Authority and parish councils. The services provided by the borough cost the average household just £3.36 per week. For that, they collect our bins, keep our parks and green spaces some of the best in Britain, provide leisure centres and sports pitches, manage planning permissions, licence taxis and the sale of alcohol, inspect standards of hygiene in restaurants, administer certain welfare benefits,

house the homeless, issue grants for home improvements to aid independent living for the disabled, and much more.

When I was Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, I saw reports on many councils up and down the country and I was proud that Tunbridge Wells was one of the best-regarded by residents. And this is achieved while keeping council tax at one of the lowest levels in the UK.

The borough council has important responsibilities in the years ahead.

It has to work to keep our towns and villages prosperous. There is immense competition these days between towns to host shops and restaurants and businesses. Tunbridge Wells has been doing better than most other towns, but this can’t be taken for granted. We need constantly to give people good reasons to use our town centres. That’s why the redevelopment of the Royal Victoria Place, the development of the old cinema site with a new town centre cinema, the provision of a new theatre, and continued improvements in our parks and gardens, will all help keep Tunbridge Wells attractive in the future.

Treasurer, Tonbridge & Malling Green Party

Why we need to value wild and open spaces numbers of many birds’, including once familiar species such as the mistle thrush, skylark, lapwing and house sparrow.

It was mostly farmland birds that suffered, as farming practices changed, but now even woodland birds are declining.

Richard Byatt has lived in West Malling for over 25 years. He worked in Tonbridge for 12 years as Editor of a B2B journal, was Communications Director of a professional body, and is now a freelance writer and researcher. Richard is a keen cyclist and walker, and is particularly interested in protecting the wonderful environment and wildlife habitats we have in Kent. He joined the Green Party in 2014, and is Treasurer and media lead for the local party. He is also a member of West Malling Parish Council

Loss of habitat and nesting sites, along with increased use of fertilisers and pesticides, are the principal reasons.

According to the annual Breeding Bird Survey, skylark numbers across the UK are down 20 per cent (29 per cent in the South East); the mistle thrush has suffered a 24 per cent decline (45 per cent in South East) and the lapwing is down 42 per cent across the UK (and a devastating 57 per cent in the South East).

Bird populations, as with other species, are very sensitive to changes in the environment and can fluctuate significantly, so there is no room for complacency – even about species whose numbers have stabilised or are increasing.

We must protect the habitats of these species, and if possible extend and enhance them.

However, there is a danger, particularly in the South East of England, that nature is viewed as just one of a number of competing uses for land.

With this approach, the answer is seen as designating nature reserves, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Sites of Special Scientific Interest and country parks.

Squeezed

KEEP IT GREEN River Lawn in Tonbridge is a popular open space

get the improvements in school places, medical facilities, drainage and sewerage capacity and road upgrades when new homes are built.

Tunbridge Wells would not be the attractive place it is without the commitment and hard work of our local councillors in every part of the Borough. Please use your vote tomorrow to make sure that our borough continues to be famous across the country for being a great place to live, work and visit.

TOWN HALL Where the borough council meets

Responsibilities

Richard Byatt

I’M 60 this month; an age when you think about some of the changes you’ve seen. I began birdwatching in the early 1980s, and over the years I’ve noticed that I see fewer birds.

A few species have thrived, but the RSPB describes a ‘serious, countrywide, decline in the

The council has to manage the consequences of being a sought-after borough, such as in the demand for housing. Tunbridge Wells needs to be a place where younger people can afford to live, and must have improvements in the infrastructure needed to support new housing. The borough council has been effective in getting more housing, including affordable housing, available in the last few years – but there’s much more to be done.

Borough councillors are fighting to make sure we

We have some excellent nature reserves and parks in Kent – they are vitally important and should be protected. But often the green places that people value most are on their local patch – the grass verge on the walk to the station; the clump of trees at the top of the road; the bit of scrubland by the stream.

We should be protecting and creating many more green and wild spaces, not simply identifying ghettos for nature.

The signs are not good. Whether it is housing development, mineral extraction or road building, nature is being squeezed out. Street trees are felled because they are inconvenient; valuable town centre green space is sold off; fracking is permitted in ancient woodland.

Planning documents talk of benchmarks, official designations and standards – all useful tools, but they can turn decisions about open spaces and wildlife habitats into a pseudoscientific calculation.

There are well-meaning attempts to attach a financial value to nature, and to balance this against other land uses. But if you can put a monetary value on nature, then you can trump that figure with the value of hours saved to business by a new road – it’s a dangerous path.

I would argue that we should value the natural world for itself, not just for what it can do for us.

But there are other, perhaps more selfish, reasons to value nature. Study after study has shown the contribution nature makes to mental health – whether it’s a walk in the woods, the sound of birdsong or simply a view of water.

A 2017 report by The Institute for European Environmental Policy found that people living close to trees and green spaces are less likely to be obese, inactive, or dependent on anti-depressants.

Look out for that patch of green – if you don’t fight for it, you may find it’s gone, and we’ll all be poorer.

Wednesday May 2 | 2018

yourh me INSPIRATION FOR MOVING

AND IMPROVING

AVAILABLE EVER Y WEDNESDAY – A MUST-READ

ULTIMATE GUIDE TO PROPERTY, IN TERIORS, TOP TRENDS AN D GARDENING

Grand designs

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on a Broadwater Down apartment Page 24

BATHING IN TELEVISION FAME

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LIVING IN SEMI-RURAL CLOVER

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A BERRY GOOD TIME FOR GARDENS

A Moroccan mood… in the palm of your hand Page 46

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yourh me

To suit your budget

Wednesday May 2 | 2018

Your at-a-glance guide to BROADWATER DOWN TUNBRIDGE WELLS GUIDE PRICE

£795,000£825,000

UNDER £250,000

n Kitchen

UNDER £300,000

n Open plan living room kitchen

SPRINGWELL COURT, TONBRIDGE

n 2 bedrooms

BOYNE PARK, TUNBRIDGE WELLS

n 2 bedrooms

GUIDE PRICE

n Parking area

£290,000

n Residents parking

£250,000

n No forward chain

n Prime location

n Share of freehold

n Communal entrance hallway n Apartment n Living/dining room n Recently refurbished

n Bathroom n Lease and services charges apply

CONTACT Bracketts Tonbridge 01732 350503 www.bracketts.co.uk

n Ground floor apartment n Sash windows n High ceilings n Private entrance

n Newly fitted bathroom n Chain free

CONTACT Andrews 01892 515144 www.andrewsonline.co.uk

To suit your budget

Wednesday May 2 | 2018

thekn w

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great properties by price range…

UNDER £350,000 THIRLMERE ROAD, TUNBRIDGE WELLS

GUIDE PRICE

£325,000 n Front entrance porch n Entrance hall n Living room n Kitchen n Conservatory n 2 bedrooms n Bathroom n Front and rear gardens n Single garage in need of repair CONTACT Bracketts Tunbridge Wells 01892 533733 www.bracketts.co.uk

UNDER £600,000 COKERS DOWN COTTAGE, BELLS YEW GREEN

GUIDE PRICE

£595,000 n Sitting room n Dining room n Kitchen n Study n 3 bedrooms n Bathroom n Toilet n Double garage currently being built n Twin brick built stables n Approx 5.25 acres CONTACT Bracketts Tunbridge Wells 01892 533733 www.bracketts.co.uk

UNDER £1MILLION BROADWATER DOWN, TUNBRIDGE WELLS

n Kitchen

GUIDE PRICE

n Master bedroom

n Bathroom

UNDER £700,000 CLARKS YARD, WADHURST

GUIDE PRICE

£795,000-£825,000

n 2 further bedrooms n Cloakroom

£625,000

(SHARE OF FREEHOLD)

n Further reception/dining room

n Entrance hall

n Shower room

n Reception room

n Utility room

n Dining room

n Garden laid to lawn

n Kitchen/breakfast room

n Garage with parking

n Conservatory

CONTACT

n Master bedroom with en suite shower room

Bracketts Tunbridge Wells 01892 533733 www.bracketts.co.uk

n 4 further bedrooms

n Three levels n Porch n Entrance hall n First and second floor galleried landings n Reception room n Dining room

n Double garage n Rear garden with a patio area CONTACT Bracketts Tunbridge Wells 01892 533733 www.bracketts.co.uk

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yourh me

Moat Farm Oast

Wednesday April 25 | 2018

AT A GLANCE MOAT FARM OAST MARDEN n Oast conversion n Gravelled driveway n Entrance hall n Cloakroom n Sitting room n Kitchen/dining room n Utility room n Master bedroom suite with en suite n 4 further bedrooms n Family bathroom n Shower room n Parking area n Lawn rear garden with patio area n No chain

£799,950 leasehold or monthly rental of £2,750 Available for sale or let through Firefly Properties Paddock Wood 01892 838363 www.fireflyproperties.co.uk

Exceptional oast conversion recently featured on TV’s Escape to the Country

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Advertising

thekn w.guide

Wednesday May 2 | 2018

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yourh me

Clover House

Wednesday May 2 | 2018

AT A GLANCE

Unique new build home in semi-rural countryside location CLOVER HOUSE WICKHURST ROAD, SEVENOAKS n Front door with glass side screens n Entrance hall n Oak work surfaces n Kitchen/dining/sitting room n Cinema n Gym n Cloakroom n Utility room n 4 bedrooms (all with en suites) n One with Juliette balcony n Vaulted ceilings n Gardens and grounds n Tack/feed store n Hay barn n Stable block n South facing terrace n Mechanical ventilation system n Approx 1.2 acres

GUIDE PRICE

ÂŁ1,650,000

Available for sale through Savills Sevenoaks 01732 789700 www.savills.co.uk

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yourh me

Interiors

Wednesday May 2 | 2018

Global power

Tribal The ever reliable Home Sense always stocks a decent amount of great unique items sourced from all over the world, so it’s always worth dropping into one or its sister store, TK Maxx.

Although pretty much all of the aforementioned items available through major retailers are mostly reproduction, you can source the odd genuine gem through specialist websites and collectors.

But, to be honest, unless you are looking to invest in something, then the current crop of global goodies will suffice nicely. And, of course, still give your home an added aesthetic layer and some unique character.

The key to achieving a cool and contemporary look, as opposed to creating a scheme that’s more reminiscent of a tacky tourist shop, is to handpick a handful of hero items.

This could be a beaded Moroccan rug, an eye-catching tribal wall hanging, Asian lanterns, or even a large statement shell.

Dropping these items against a background of palms – real or faux, both of which are another huge style hit this season – will further enhance your exotic and eclectic yet carefully considered look.

If you don’t want to go too bold, then how about giving a nod to the global trend by weaving in a few small accessories?

Aztec print cushions are big at the moment, as is anything with pom-poms festooned on it, and the brighter the better as it will help conjure up the heat and colourful vibrancy of far flung places.

Grouping together accessories – think belly baskets, inlaid mosaic photo frames or a collection of wooden carvings, for example – on some statement shelving or a large table surface is also an effective technique.

It’s really a case of trial and error, and seeing what works for your individual items and own personal taste.

Keeping a check on colour is also essential for a successful scheme.

If you’ve got a lot of silver or brass effects, then introduce a distinctive brighter shade to shake things up – shocking pink or rich navy looks great with silver. Greens and splashes of white are the perfect foil to inky indigos, while hints of mustard look wonderful against a palette of muted greys and charcoals.

Ultimately, you want to make both your shop-bought items and those you’ve sourced from your travels look just as at home in the UK as they do in their original country, or the one that influenced them.

Other retailers to try sourcing a taste of the exotic from include OKA (ww.okadirect.com) and Lombok (www. lombok.co.uk), who both do a stylish and contemporary take on pieces inspired by the East.

Many of them have been reworked using more Western colours and finishes so they harmonise your home. Now all you have to do is wait for the sun to shine…

NOW GET THE LOOK 5 ways to add character

‘Dropping these items against a background of palms will further enhance your exotic look’

IMAGE: courtesy of Monsoon www.monsoon.co.uk

I

f you’ve been lucky enough to globetrot over the years and have amassed a wealth of wonderful finds, then the chances are they’re on display in various places in your home.

Perhaps it’s a large sea shell collection in your bathroom, an exotic vase in your sitting room, or a Cantonese chest in your entrance hall?

By decorating like this it’s such an easy and effective way of giving your space some instant and interesting character. But if you haven’t got a haul of travel trinkets and treasured mementos, then don’t worry, as right now retailers are brimming with lots of fantastic foreign finds.

Everywhere from Monsoon, Marks & Spencer, John Lewis and Next to Dunelm, TK Maxx, House of Fraser and Sainsbury’s are piling their shelves high with all manner of rustic-style, hand-printed ceramic pots, wooden figurative sculptures, and interesting illuminations, including beaded lampshades and hammered metal that wouldn’t look out of place in a South American casa or colonial building in India.

Give your home a taste of the exotic by mixing accessories and styles from around the world for a unique, eclectic vibe, says Eileen Leahy

TABLE TALK Set of two Geo Nested Tables, £79, JD Williams Home, www.jdwilliams.co.uk

SITTING PRETTY Bohemian Wanderer Seat Cushion, £14, Sainsbury’s Home, www.sainsburys.co.uk

POT LUCK Serax Marie Mosaic Blue White Square Plant Pot, £22, Amara, www.amara.com

GREEN FINGERS Faux Plant in Blue Ceramic Pot, £12.99, HomeSense, www.homesense.com

GREY MATTER Zuiver Venus Hand Woven Rug in Grey, £489, Cuckooland, www.cuckooland.com

Wednesday May 2 | 2018

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Gardening

Wednesday May 2 | 2018

A new lease of life Victoria Truman guides us through some seasonal suggestions for getting your garden ready for summer

N

ow that spring is truly underway (even with this week’s irrigating rain), you can cheer yourself by turning your thoughts turn to summer and the garden. As you look at your lawn, does the nagging question of ‘where do I even begin?’ sound familiar?

In my opinion, the first and foremost thing to do is to stand back for a moment and simply enjoy the beauty that Mother Nature has given us.

Listen to the birds as they sing you a spring melody, dream a little, and then put on the gardening gloves and head out to make your dream garden a reality!

As you begin your quest for the perfect outdoor area,

don’t overdo it! It’s probably been a few months since you gave those muscles and bones a good workout, so start out slowly and avoid that Monday morning backache.

In May, bulbs fade and herbaceous borders grow in leaps and bounds, making it clear that summer’s approaching.

Sowing and planting out bedding can begin, depending on regional weather variations, and you can take softwood cuttings. It’s also time to get back into the mowing regime, as the lawn will be loving the warmer temperatures that this month brings.

Here are some further tips for keeping your garden prim and proper this month… n Feed bare soil between plants with general-purpose fertiliser, and dose acid-loving rhododendrons and camellias with sequestered iron. Blackcurrants, blackberries and loganberries need a high-nitrogen feed n Sow peas, broad beans, brassicas, leeks, root veg, spinach, chicory, Swiss chard, salad and hardy herbs.

Start tender veg and half-hardy annuals – cosmos, nicotiana, snapdragons – under cover n Plant Jerusalem artichokes and asparagus crowns.

Container-grown evergreens establish best in the spring, and fill pots with glamorous summer-flowering bulbs n Pinch out fuchsia, sweet peas and pelargoniums to encourage bushiness and heavier flowering n Mowing and lawn care has started with the warmer weather, but cut slightly higher for the next month www.victoriatruman.com

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TIPS

For creating a bloomin’ lovely hanging basket from scratch Ready-made baskets might be tempting, but there’s nothing like crafting your own. Hannah Stephenson shows you how…

1

Choose a basket and liner

There are many on the market, from traditional wicker and wire circular types, to conical containers and baskets which have water reservoirs in the bottom and removable ‘gates’ at the sides, which allow you to plant your plants and then secure them by replacing the gates.

Those who want natural-looking liners may go for sphagnum moss or coir. Some gardeners then line the liners with plastic of some sort, whether it be from an old compost bag or a rubbish liner, and put holes into the plastic to allow for drainage. I have tried this and it does help retain moisture, so the compost doesn’t dry out so quickly.

Others swear that the best liner is an old woolly jumper, which is stretchy enough to allow you to plant your chosen blooms through, but also retains moisture.

Do you buy your hanging basket ready-made from a garden centre, or plant it yourself?

It’s a question many time-strapped gardeners ask themselves. You can snap up a filled basket, already brimming with blooms, for between £15-£20 from some online retailers and garden centres which, if you feed, water and deadhead religiously, should last through summer.

Indeed, you may not save any money by opting to make up your own, once you factor in all the components involved (mature bedding, the basket, the liner, water-retaining crystals and slow-release plant food), but there are certainly advantages in planting up your own hanging basket.

You get to choose the style, exact plants and colours, as well as being safe in the knowledge you’ve put them in suitable compost containing all the nutrients they should need for the summer. You may have sown seed earlier on, so have far more plants to disperse among numerous baskets and containers – and there’s a joy in growing your own beautiful blooms from seed.

Fancy giving it a go? Here are my three tips for creating your own gorgeous hanging basket…

2

Select your plants

If you are making your hanging baskets up now, you may still be able to buy some bargain plug plants – baby plants that cost less than larger equivalents – which should be easy to plant in your basket. Good bedding for baskets include geraniums, petunias, bacopa, lobelia, verbena, diascia and fuchsia, although some require more watering than others.

Fuchsias, for instance, tend to be thirsty, while geraniums are more drought tolerant. Busy Lizzies and hostas are good if your basket is going to be in a shady spot.

Styles vary – some gardeners prefer a globe of the same variety and colour to create order and continuity, and which tend to be lower maintenance as the same plants will have the same needs in terms of watering and feeding.

Others will plant a riot of different colours in the same

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basket, some trailing, some bush varieties. If you are going for a mixture, plant trailers on the outside or at the sides of the basket and a feature bush plant in the middle to create some height and balance.

3

Use good compost

You can buy compost specifically for hanging baskets which already incorporates water-retaining crystals and plant food. But if you already have multipurpose compost, add a handful of slow-release plant food granules and water-retaining crystals to the mix. If you are planting a longer-lasting basket with more permanent plants, such as hostas and heucheras or evergreens, including skimmias and variegated ivies, use John Innes No 2 compost.

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FOOD & DRINK | MOTORING

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Those summer nights are back on The Pantiles Page 56

BOOK A DATE WITH THE FESTIVAL

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COOKING THE GENNARO WAY

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Larkin’ about…

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Bill Bailey’s travel show comes to town Page 54

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Arts & Culture

Wednesday May 2 | 2018

Turn over a new leaf and visit this cultural The Chiddingstone Literary Festival, which starts on Sunday and runs until Tuesday, sees the likes of crime writer Ian Rankin, historical novelist Kate Mosse and Children’s Laureate Lauren Child making appearances, with a special schools programme on the final day. Fred Latty chats to organisers Victoria Henderson and Abi Ditzel about what else is in store

What can audiences expect from this year’s literary festival at Chiddingstone?

This year’s festival is designed to truly offer ‘something for everyone’, with a deliberately eclectic mix of renowned writers on a range of subjects, including biography, memoir, history, medicine, fiction, crime, poetry, science, politics and children’s books.

To ensure it’s a family affair, there will also be children’s theatre performances, puppetry, writing workshops, life drawing and clay sculpting classes. Audiences will enjoy up-close encounters with quality speakers who will inform, entertain and provoke debate on a wide range of topics.

Talk us through some of the standout authors, illustrators, poets and performers not to be missed…

This year’s impressive line-up is a measure of our growing stature and we’re thrilled to welcome some top names, including the UK’s No 1

crime writer Ian Rankin, awardwinning cookery writer Diana Henry and bestselling author, ex-junior doctor and comedian Adam Kay. We will also have the exclusive launch of successful novelist Kate Mosse’s new historical trilogy and appearances by BBC Radio 4’s presenter of The Life Scientific, Jim Al-Khalili, and Children’s Laureate Lauren Child. Prize-winning poet Daljit Nagra, children’s writer and illustrator David Melling, and BBC Two’s Newsnight anchor Evan Davis will also be coming along.

What will be on offer for families over the weekend?

We’ll be welcoming back The Pericles Theatre Company, who will be performing The Promise of Everlasting Life, and there will be clay modelling workshops with Aardman Animation, and Life Drawing classes for adults.

Bank Holiday Monday is our Family Day, when little ones can Lauren Child

CLASS ACT Chiddingstone Castle

Ian Rankin

Arts & Culture

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literary festival meet lovable bear Hugless Douglas and his creator David Melling, along with Children’s Laureate Lauren Child, creator of Charlie and Lola, our second Laureate to appear at Chiddingstone in three years.

There will also be writing workshops, and for teenagers and adults there’s an opportunity to hear leading scientific experts Jim Al-Khalili and Sir Nigel Shadbolt discussing the future of science, and Newsnight’s Evan Davis on the subject of fake news and what we can do about it.

How would you sum up the cultural ethos of this event?

Our aim is to provide a long weekend’s escape into a world of revelation and debate; with wit and wisdom, comedy and tragedy, stories of great lives well lived,

lessons learnt and objectives achieved.

Our Schools Programme on Tuesday May 8 brings local pupils into contact with some of today’s best writers for children.

This year we are thrilled to hear from Cressida Cowell, author of How to Train Your Dragon, talking about her new series The Wizards of Once; as well as Abi Elphinstone, the award-winning writer of Sky Song; Philip Ardagh, the Tunbridge Wells author of The Secret Diary Series; and writer and illustrator team Guy Bass and Pete Williamson, creators of the Stitch Head series.

For Key Stage 1 children, we have performances by Perriernominated comic Andrew Clover and the children’s theatre company Really Big Pants.

The Chiddingstone Castle Literary Festival runs from Sunday May 6 until Tuesday May 8 and tickets start at £12. There will also be a Festival Drinks Party on Saturday May 5 from 6.30-8.30pm with guest of honour Ian Rankin, and tickets cost £18. For further information, visit www.chiddingstonecastle.org.uk

Daljit Nagra

Kate Mosse

IN TUNE FOR 80 YEARS The choir then (far right) and now (above)

Celebrating a musical milestone The Royal Tunbridge Wells Orpheus Male Voice Choir turns 80 this year and is giving a concert at Trinity Theatre on May 12. Chairman John Cohen reveals its history THE choir was founded in 1938 as war was looming. They performed throughout World War II at local venues, providing much-needed entertainment for the town as well as raising large sums for the war effort.

In 1939, they sang at the newly-built Assembly Hall, and had the privilege of being one of the first to use it. Since then we have raised funds for local and regional charities and churches, and performed at many prestigious venues.

In 2014, the then Mayor, Julian Stanyer, said the choir was ‘an asset to the town’.

There are many memorable moments in our 80-year history, but some of the key highlights include performances at The Royal Albert Hall, The Royal Festival Hall, The Guildhall and Buckingham Palace.

Another notable event was singing with 8,000 others at the 1975 International

Eisteddfodd with Shirley Bassey.

We have a great programme to help celebrate our 80th year, which coincides with the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I. We are honoured to be part of the Service of Remembrance in the town in November, and to be singing in the Last Post Ceremony at the Menin Gate, at Ypres in Belgium on August 7.

It’s striking that in spite of many challenges and changes over the decades, the choir has remained, and as a result has numerous achievements it can be really proud of. As well as winning many choral competitions and enjoying visits abroad, we have also provided enormous satisfaction to generations of singers.

We have been fortunate to attract some very talented musical directors and accompanists, including our current team, Richard Walshaw and Adam

Crane, but one thing that has remained constant is the choir’s continuous service to the community.

Money raised has helped build and refurbish various buildings, and enabled us to fund organs and grand pianos. Our singing has also helped in other ways, especially towards people, from cancer sufferers and the terminally ill to the rehabilitation of injured soldiers.

Our 80th anniversary concert at Trinity Theatre will honour several local charities, including Burrswood Health & Wellbeing, King Charles the Martyr Church, Hospice in the Weald and St Peter’s Church. Mayor Julia Soyke will also attend the event.

The night’s entertainment will feature show tunes, pop, folk, spirituals and classical favourites, and we do hope you will join us. Tickets are priced from £12, bookable at www.rtworpheusmvc.org

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Going Out

Wednesday May 2 | 2018

going ut Seven days of activities at a glance

By Eileen Leahy BILL BAILEY relays travellers’ tales at the Assembly Hall

tales and the general shenanigans of 20 years as a travelling comedian’. There are still tickets available priced at £27.50, and you can book via www.assemblyhalltheatre.co.uk

FRIDAY Go Ape at Bedgebury is the perfect activity for the children to get stuck into as its tree top adventure trails are both exciting and exhilarating.

Youngsters must be a minimum age of ten years old and at least 1.4m tall in order to participate.

For tickets and timings, visit www.goape.co.uk Thompson Spare Art Gallery in Tunbridge Wells High Street is currently hosting an exhibition of artwork by its curators Simon Spare and Anna Brice Cockland alongside that of fellow artist Andrew James. The show is on until May 9 and is free to attend. For more information visit www.thompsonspare.art There’s still time to catch the current crop of flowers in all their seasonal splendour, so make sure you pay a visit to beautiful Hole Park Gardens in Rolvenden, Kent. It is open daily from 11am until 6pm, and keen horticulturalists will love the bluebells, camellias, magnolias, wisteria and rhododendrons, which will be ablaze with colour. For ticket details and to view Hole Park’s Bluebell Barometer, which indicates when they are in flower, visit www.holepark .com

SATURDAY

WEDNESDAY

Trinity Theatre Club is staging Skylight, David Hare’s modern classic play. In a tiny, freezing flat in London’s East End, two former lovers are reunited, rekindling old resentments in a series of stinging exchanges. Lose yourself in this tinderbox drama, priced from £10, until Saturday May 5. www.trinitytheatre.net Nothing Like A Dame is a celluloid celebration of four of our female national treasures: Dames Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Eileen Atkins and Joan Plowright. On at the Odeon cinema in Tunbridge Wells at 6.30pm this evening, it features the four friends catching up in the country, gossiping and laughing about life.

A must watch for fans of these formidable females www.odeon.com Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson’s latest blockbuster, Rampage, is on at The Hop Farm’s Moonlight Drive-In Cinema all this week. It’s the tale of primatologist Davis Okoye (Johnson) who has an amazing bond with the world’s only albino gorilla, whom he affectionately calls George. But things go horribly wrong when the unique

primate is accidentally affected by a rogue genetic experiment… Tickets cost £25 per vehicle and screenings are at 8.45pm.

THURSDAY

The first Jazz on The Pantiles kicks off this evening on the famous promenade’s bandstand.

The group with the honour of performing at the inaugural concert of 2018 is Lipstick & Beatniks.

The musical action begins at 7.30pm.

The Royal Ballet’s Manon will be broadcast live at the Odeon this evening at 7.15pm.

Kenneth MacMillan’s tragic and romantic ballet is a firm favourite in The Royal Ballet repertory, and depicts the powerful and obsessive love between Des Grieux (Vadim Muntagirov) and Manon (Sarah Lamb).

When they first meet, she is being sold off to the highest bidder by her brother Lescaut (Ryoichi Hirano). Trinity will be screening the performance on Sunday.

Popular comic Bill Bailey plays two dates at the Assembly Hall today and tomorrow evening from 7.30pm. His new show, entitled Larks in Transit, is a ‘compendium of travellers’

Once again, Penshurst Place will be the glorious backdrop to the popular Weald of Kent Homemade Spring Fair, which takes place over the Bank Holiday weekend. As well as plenty of handicraft workshops and over 150 artisans displaying their goods there will be falconry displays, children’s arts and crafts sessions, gourmet treats and live music. Tickets cost £8 for adults and £7 for seniors and are available from www.ichfevents.co.uk and www.thecraftshows.co.uk The second Mayfield Art Trail, which sees over 30 artists of all mediums exhibiting their work in 15 different venues around Mayfield and Five Ashes, is currently in full swing. The event coincides with Mayfield’s Music Festival, which STEAMING GOOD FUN At Spa Valley Railway

runs until mid-May. The artists will be available to talk about their oeuvres, some of which will be for sale with proceeds going to the Hospice in the Weald. The trail will run this weekend, and for the next two, from 11am until 5pm.

All weekend until Bank Holiday Monday, Hever Castle will be hosting its marvellous May Day extravaganza. As well as a range of fun family activities to enjoy there will also be a raft of traditional games and customs to experience, including Maypole dancing and a Jack in the Green procession. For further information on the weekend’s events and ticket prices, please visit www.hevercastle.co.uk All weekend at Spa Valley Railway you can take a ride in carriages pulled by a visiting steam locomotive, the historic Lancashire & Yorkshire A-Class No. 52322! Running throughout the busy summer months, tickets to ride this beautiful train start at £6. See www.spavalleyrailway.co.uk

Going Out

Wednesday May 2 | 2018

GET CRAFTY At Penshurst Place’s Homemade Spring Fair

their way to Groombridge Place for three days of storytelling, as well as a pirate singalong, crafts, a bouncy castle and lots more to see and do. Running from 10am to 5pm, the swashbuckling event can be booked from £12.95 at www.groombridgeplace.com This afternoon from 2pm until 5pm at Calverley Grounds, the Royal Tunbridge Wells Croquet Club invites people to come along and have a go at this traditional English summer lawn game.

There will be other opportunities to try out the sport for free on the first Sundays in June, July and August.

SUNDAY This morning at 10am there will be a Mass at St Thomas of Canterbury Church in Mayfield as part of the village’s ongoing Festival of music and arts. For more information on this and the rest of

the two-week cultural celebration, please visit www.mayfieldfestival.co.uk The third Chiddingstone Literary Festival starts today in the grounds of the village’s castle. Running until Tuesday, the event welcomes the likes of crime writer Ian Rankin, foodie Diana Henry, novelist Kate Mosse and Charlie and Lola creator Lauren Child. For more information on this event, please see our special feature on pages 52-53.

Over the Bank Holiday weekend there will be a Bushcraft Skills and Camping Hacks taking place on May 6 and 7 from 11am to 5pm at Penshurst Place. So head down to the Woodland Trail and meet the specialists from Camp Wilderness who’ll be demonstrating survival skills such as fire building and knotting ropes, along with essential camping hacks.

Pirates and princesses should make

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PIRATES AHOY! At Groombridge Place

MONDAY Tonbridge Music Club presents a song recital by Ben Johnson, winner of the Cardiff Singer of the World Audience Prize in 2013, who will be performing with the pianist Roger Vignoles, widely regarded as one of the finest accompanists of his generation. The exciting and varied programme ranges from Purcell to Gershwin with much in between. The concert is at Tonbridge School and begins at 7.30pm. Tickets are £20 for adults and £5 for under 18s. For more details, call the box office 01732 838698 or go to www.tmc.org.uk

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certain species and to enjoy tea and cake in the café. Tickets cost £10.50 for adults, £5 for children under 16,

The Friends of Grosvenor & Hilbert Park will be hosting their annual family fête today from noon until 5pm at the park, with lots of live music, entertainment, donkey rides and delicious food on offer.

St Thomas’s School will also be holding its yearly fête in Groombridge village today from noon until 4pm. There will be live music, traditional Maypole dancing, a dog show, and – for the first time – the Great Groombridge Cake Competition will be held and judged by Groombridge WI.

and children under six go free. For more information, visit www.pashleymanorgardens.com

PICK OF THE WEEK: Battle of Tonbridge, Castle Lawn May 5 and 6 from 10.30am until 4.30pm

Over the Bank Holiday weekend Tonbridge Town Team welcomes the English Civil War Society, who will be doing an exciting reenactment based on the actual Battle of Tonbridge, which took place in 1643 during the English Civil War. Back then, Thomas Weller, a Parliamentarian and lawyer who lived on Bordyke – in what is now known as Priory House or The Red House – had been recruited to collect tax to support the Roundhead cause, but he was taken captive in Sevenoaks after confronting ‘villains, more like madd dogs then men’.

Yet after he was released and

TUESDAY

This is the final day to catch the Pashley Manor Tulip Festival: A floral festival showcasing a huge variety of enormously colourful varieties of the beautiful bloom planted up in the impressive manor’s extensive grounds.

There will be the opportunity to buy

PIC: ©Featureflash Photography

GET IN POLE POSITION At St Thomas’s School, Groombridge and Hever Castle

returned to Tonbridge, he found his house was being raided, so the next day he went back and stormed his home with weaponry.

A timetable of events has been mapped out for both days of the re-enactment.

The Royalists will muster outside Weller’s house on Bordyke before marching down the High Street, then up Castle Street to attack the gatehouse.

A Roundhead camp and village will be set up on Castle Lawn, and there will be displays by the Royalist cannon crew, pikemen and musketeers as well as a pike drill for children. Plus there will be prizes to be won.

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Going Out

Wednesday May 2 | 2018

THE GREY LADY MUSIC LOUNGE The Pantiles Doors 7.15pm, entry £6/£7, websites www.pdag.co.uk, www.thegreylady.co.uk Friday Jazz Club Night with Bob Bernard & Friends and special guest guitarist Andy Williams Saturday Soul Avenue Sunday No show Tuesday See www.pdag.co.uk/events

THE TUNBRIDGE WELLS FORUM

live music With Paul Dunton

N

ow we are in May, the local scene takes full flight with the return of Jazz On The Pantiles, and the summer festivals are just round the corner…

Tonight (Wednesday), I highly recommend The Forum’s Stable band showcase, with local acts Faded Shades, I Am Aquitaine, Meet The Fishermen and Spirit Level.

My top pick for Thursday night is Jazz On The Pantiles, with the excellent Lipstick & Beatniks performing from 8pm.

Superb live music events this Friday include more jazz, with the superb Jon Vinten Trio at The Masonic Hall and Jazz Club Night at The Grey Lady with Bob Bernard and Friends.

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

For something more alternative, the brilliant Dead Ceremony are headlining at The Forum with support from Studio 32 OKE and Perestroika.

Saturday sees Tailspin at The Beau Nash Tavern, featuring the enchanting vocals of Lindsay Field, while popular soloist Mark Lees returns to The Bedford. You can catch the excellent Sarah Jane Band at The Royal Oak, and The Simon & Garfunkel Story returns to The Assembly Hall Theatre.

On Sunday night there is a great line-up at The Royal Oak with the alt-folk foot-stomping sounds of the Noble Jacks, joined by Steffan James.

On Tuesday, it’s Gez Gold’s open mic at The Trading Post Bar.

Event information at www.twforum.co.uk Wednesday Faded Shades, I Am Aquitaine, Meet The Fishermen, Spirit Level Friday Dead Ceremony, Studio 32 OKE, Perestroika Sunday SNUFF

THE SUSSEX ARMS BASEMENT Sussex Mews. Open all day, entry charge may apply, music from 8.30pm. More information at www.twforum.co.uk Thursday Spire Cranes, HVMM, Frost

JAZZ ON THE PANTILES The Pantiles.

Music from 8pm-10pm, donations welcomed Thursday Lipstick & Beatniks

Noble Jacks

THE ASSEMBLY HALL THEATRE

THE ROYAL OAK

Crescent Road. All concert details and ticket information at www.assemblyhalltheatre.co.uk Saturday The Simon & Garfunkel Story Tuesday The Rutles

Prospect Road.

Open all day, free entry, music from 8.30pm till late Saturday The Sarah Jane Band Sunday The Paul Dunton Orchestra, Noble Jacks, Steffan James

THE BEAU NASH TAVERN Mount Ephraim. Open all day, free entry, music from 8.30pm till late Saturday Tailspin Sunday Open Mic Night

THE BEDFORD

Lipstick & Beatniks

2 High Street.

Open all day, free entry, music from 8.30pm till late Saturday Mark Lees

THE TRADING POST BAR 5 Culverden Down. Open all day, free entry, music from 8.30pm till late Tuesday Open Mic Night with Gez Gold

THE MASONIC HALL St John’s Road. All concert details and ticket information at www.twjazzclub.co.uk Friday The Jon Vinten Trio with Julian Stringle

THE PUNCH & JUDY 11 St Stephen’s Street, Tonbridge Open all day, free entry Tuesday live music from The Bourne Valley Boys from 8.30pm

Wednesday May 2 | 2018

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drink

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Food & Drink

Wednesday May 2 | 2018

Sauvignon blanc

WIN SOME RED CARPET WINE!

wines to sip and savour This week, Times’ drinks editor James Viner travels far and wide to find some superb premium wines to toast International Sauvignon Blanc Day on May 4

SOME grapes have a peculiarity of aroma that makes their wines instantaneously recognisable, and for that reason they’re named ‘aromatic’.

Sauvignon Blanc is one such cultivar.

Originating from the Loire in France and, with cabernet franc, the genetic co-parent

of cabernet sauvignon, sauvignon blanc is the world’s eighth most planted grape variety.

All three bottles below are from all over the globe and make thirst-quenching aperitifs that are just the ticket for seafood and oriental fare…

3

1 2

1) HIGH-STREET GEM 2017 Grower’s Club Sauvignon Blanc, South Africa (£9.99, Aldi) This zippy South African sauvignon blanc delivers a lot of pleasure for an inviting price. There’s sure to be a stampede for this full-bodied stunner which has no shortage of fruit flavours on the palate, mainly tropical, but also taking in lemongrass, elderflower, green tomato and herb tinges – the finish doing only one thing: Inviting another glass. Oh, for a chicken salad, grilled fish, smoked salmon or seafood. Star buy – exotic, halting and abundantly zesty. Stock up. Take a bow, Aldi. Alc 14% 2) MUST-TRY LUMINOUS KIWI WHITE 2017 Villa Maria Reserve Clifford Bay Sauvignon Blanc, New Zealand (£11 offer-£14.95, Sainsbury’s/Wine Direct) New Zealand is a global leader when it comes to sauvignon blanc and Villa Maria, the country’s largest wholly family-owned winery, is one of the star names in the Marlborough region, its most important wine-growing zone. This is a gleaming benchmark Kiwi SB with keen wild nettle, blackcurrant, snow pea and grapefruit core flavours, plus lovely passionfruit and capsicum aromatics offset by citrusy acidity, its balance and length unimpeachable. A refreshing and pungent premium vino for tomato salads, shellfish and spring picnics. Alc 12.5% 3) CLASSIC SPLASH OUT, WORTH IT STONY SANCERRE 2017 The Society’s Exhibition Sancerre, Domaine Serge Laloue, Loire, France (£15.50, The Wine Society) Sancerre’s the brisk, prototype sauvignon blanc from the famous, pretty hilltop town in the chalky vineyards of the upper Loire valley, but a cheap one can so easily disappoint. This, however, is an outstanding example from a lovely vintage with flavours of white stone fruit, lime zest and flinty minerals, plus a touch of herbs. It’s very stylish for the price and perfect for a spring dinner party (think oysters, salade de chèvre chaud, sushi or fish and chips). I suggest you track this touchstone bottle down today – it will undoubtedly move very fast indeed. A food wine in the best sense. Alc 13.5% Cheers! Follow James on Twitter @QuixoticWine

Your chance to win wines served at the Virgin TV British Academy Television Awards on May 13, courtesy of Champagne Taittinger and Villa Maria Two top wineries are getting ready to add sparkle to this year’s Virgin TV BAFTA Awards.

As keen supporters of the arts, Champagne Taittinger and Villa Maria wines from New Zealand are the proud official Champagne and Wine Partners to BAFTA. And they are delighted to offer you the chance to win an exclusive BAFTA-labelled bottle of Champagne Taittinger Brut Réserve NV and the Villa Maria Private Bin Sauvignon Blanc 2017 and Villa Maria Private Bin Pinot Noir 2016 – the same wines that guests will be enjoying during the awards ceremony on May 13.

Taittinger is the only leading Champagne house to remain owned and actively managed by the family named on the label, and their wine is widely available. See www.taittinger.com For the fourth year in a row, Villa Maria has been named one of the most admired wine brands in the world. Their Private Bin Sauvignon Blanc is also the No1 selling Sauvignon Blanc in the UK. Villa Maria wines are widely available in all good retailers. See www.villamaria.co.nz For your chance to win this exclusive prize, simply answer the following question: Which seven local wine producers have united with the county’s tourism champion Visit Kent to launch the ‘Wine Garden of England’?

Please list your seven choices and send them to twtcompetitions@protonmail.com by May 16, 2018. The winner who names all seven vineyards correctly will be selected at random and notified accordingly.

Terms & Conditions: Entrants must be 18 or over and must provide a mainland UK address and telephone number for delivery. For more information, visit www.bafta.org

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food

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Food & Drink

Wednesday May 2 | 2018

Gennaro Contaldo on pasta,

his ‘boy’ Jamie Oliver, and the joy of feeding people As his new cookbook, Gennaro’s Fast Cook Italian – filled with great speedy recipes – hits the shelves, Ella Walker brings us a taste of the cheery TV chef ITALIAN MADE EASY

By Gennaro

S

PEND an hour with Gennaro Contaldo and you are guaranteed to be fed.

First, it’s a bowl of fresh spaghetti, twirled through with ragu, then, after explaining how he has unwaxed Amalfi lemons sent over from Italy once a month, the 69 year old is leading the way to the kitchen.

He fries off sliced fresh chilli and garlic in butter and olive oil, chucks in the zest of a lemon and squeezes in the juice, adding hunks of butter as he goes, before 100g of al dente spaghetti is whirled in with a handful of chopped parsley leaves.

It barely takes seven minutes from start to finish, and it’s delicious and zingy – it’s just a shame it’s not in his new cookbook, Gennaro’s Fast Cook Italian.

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Essentials A collection of recipes that take fewer than 40 minutes to go from languishing in the fridge to animating your plate, the idea behind the book is to prove to people that it doesn’t take much to put together a simple meal chock-full of flavour.

“You don’t have to be a slave on the cooking!” promises Contaldo. “You’ve got to have the essentials,” he explains, ticking off olive oil, garlic and chilli on his fingers, and noting: “You can make a beautiful dish with just those

ingredients and pasta – it’s what Italian teenagers eat when they get in, especially at midnight, this is how it goes.”

Combine those basics with whatever you’ve got kicking around in the fridge and you’re sorted, he says. “A bit of bacon? Some eggs? Fantastic.

You make a lovely carbonara!”

The book brims with easy salads, interesting but quick risottos (carrot and celeriac anyone?), straightforward desserts and, of course, pasta.

Contaldo doesn’t eat pasta every day – “Just whenever I fancy” – but his love for the stuff is deeply ingrained; he doesn’t just eat it, but also understands and knows the feeling of making it from scratch, by hand.

“I’ve always made pasta – it’s like swimming,” he says. “I was born 30m from the sea. People say to me, ‘Do you remember when you learned how to swim?’ I don’t – I always could! Why? Because it was there.

“It’s exactly the same with the pasta – it was there. You grow up seeing nonna, mama, auntie, sister, friend make pasta, it’s like learning to talk – natural.”

The cook and TV presenter grew up in Minori on the Amalfi Coast (hence his strong opinions on lemons), and his Italian accent hasn’t been diluted by his years working on the London restaurant scene, as owner of the now closed Passione, and at the late Antonio Carluccio’s

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‘Jamie and me, he’s my boy – of course there’s no competition, it’s never existed’ Neal Street Restaurant (with whom he was one of the BBC’s Two Greedy Italians), where Contaldo first met and began mentoring a young Jamie Oliver.

Oliver has his own Italian cookbook – Jamie Cooks Italy – coming out later this summer.

Is there any semblance of competition or rivalry between the two of them?

“Course not – I am in his new book,” he says fiercely. “Jamie and me, he’s my boy – of course there’s no competition, it’s never existed.”

In fact, the book saw the duo tour Italy together, learning the skills of Italian nonnas. “You’re always learning,” says Contaldo, “there’s no end.”

It explains why he’s passionate about getting people to cook, and also why you’re unlikely to find him ordering takeout, not when pizza is so ‘easy to make’.

“People should cook a little more, they should make their own,” he says.

“If you do cook every day – I know it is hard – but once you feed your family, you give them

Gennaro Contaldo’s Fast Cook Italian

by Gennaro Contaldo, with photography by Kim Lightbody, is published by Pavilion Books, priced £20.

Available now.

good food, you give them a lotta love.

“Once they grow up, they start to cook as well – they see, they remember.

“Being a cook is not easy, we all complain, like anything else,” admits Contaldo, who, at almost 70, still has no plans to hang up his apron.

“Sometimes we do unbelievable hours; you don’t mind doing it because you make people happy.”

Food for him is intrinsic to joy, and to taking care of people. “We have to eat three times a day,” he says. “Let’s do it properly, together – then it becomes a party; then it becomes family; then it becomes love.”

Lemon-infused steam-baked mackerel

Filled soft amaretti

Fresh pea and burrata salad with sunflower seed crostini

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Look Good, Feel Good

Wednesday May 2 | 2018

Colour me

beautiful With the finer weather on the way, it’s time to update your beauty routine, swapping dramatic dark lip shades for iridescent glosses, getting your limbs lithe and shiny, and achieving a natural all-over glow. Here’s some key kit to get you started, says Eileen Leahy

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1) Living Nature Ultimate Day Oil (£30, www.botanicalbrands.com)

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During the winter months it’s all too easy for your complexion to hide behind a layer of foundation, but once the weather warms up you’ll want to show off a more natural glow.

Achieving that starts with a good skincare routine involving proper cleansing and moisturising, as no amount of make-up or wonder creams will help you if you don’t have a good base to start off with.

To help you sort that out, invest in this beautiful facial oil, which is packed with a plethora of natural and essential ingredients to help rejuvenate and nourish the skin. It’s also vegan and cruelty-free and can be used on the body, too.

2) Autograph Self Tan Overnight Glow Mask (£12.50, www.marksandspencer.com) An instant way to achieve good glow is with a self-tan product, and this one is definitely worth investing in as it’s really rather clever.

New for summer 2018, this invisible yet foolproof mask helps you obtain natural sun-kissed skin by working directly with your complexion’s amino acids. For the best results, make sure you exfoliate before applying. Once you’ve done so, massage in a small amount ensuring you apply it to your neck as well as your face, taking care to blend well.

When you wake up and look in the mirror you’ll see a gorgeous golden new you staring back, with not a streak in sight! Reapply every few days to build up your colour, or leave to fade naturally.

SUBBED

3) Nuxe Reve de-Miel Body Scrub (£19.50, www.birchbox.co.uk)

If you haven’t discovered this cult French beauty brand, then it’s time you did. Using honey (miel) as its key nourishing ingredient, it’s a really effective range which boasts an array of excellent

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Look Good, Feel Good

Wednesday May 2 | 2018

going for five years but its results are so impressive that its range of products are now stocked in over 15,000 places in more than 23 countries. The latest launch is this golden shimmering dry coconut body oil which you spray on to your limbs (or face), preferably bronzed in order to get the best results. As well as having milled sparkle particles, it also nourishes and smells divine. Ideal festival beauty booty to have in your rucksack.

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6) High Shine Lip Gloss in Pink Fantasy at George Cosmetics (£2.50, Asda stores nationwide)

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skincare products, including gentle facial washes and complexion-boosting masks as well as this body scrub.

With the onset of spring your beauty routine has to step up a notch or three, and it all starts with a good exfoliator to ensure lithe limbs. This one is also packed with sugar crystals and precious oils to effectively slough away dead skin cells and reveal a softer base which will take a good self-tan more easily. Say goodbye to lumps and bumps and ‘bonjour’ to smoother skin.

4) Clinique Chubby Stick Shadow Tint For Eyes in Bountiful Beige (£18.50, www.clinique.co.uk)

Just as you switch up your skincare routine as the sunshine comes out, you need to do the same with your make-up. Why? Because heavy smoky eyes and bold lips tend to look too overdone in

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the summer. So, swap these darker, dramatic tones for lighter ones which will not only enhance your golden glow but also take years off you, as a more minimalist approach to make-up tends to.

Clinique’s Chubby stick has become iconic in the beauty world and is available for both eyes and lips, delivering excellent coverage and staying power. Available in 14 different shades, the Bountiful Beige one is great for a natural look or can be used as a base for a richer bronze tone.

Simply slick on this creamy shadow and see your eyes shine.

5) Cocoa Brown by Marissa Carter Rose Gold Goddess Shimmering Dry Body Oil (£12.99, available from Superdrug, Primark and www.cocoabrown.ie) Another little find for you, and this time it’s an Irish tanning brand which may only have been

A good gloss will instantly enhance your complexion, giving it a more illuminated look.

And the good thing is you really don’t have to spend a fortune on one as even the budget options, such as this little gem from George Cosmetics, have great staying power.

Available in a variety of shades, including

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Buff, a natural glimmer, Sea Horse, a peachy tone, and this tan enhancing Pink Fantasy colour. Lips look fuller, shinier and totally kissable. What’s not to love?

7) Tropical Cherimoya Cologne Jo Malone London Hot Blossom Cologne 100ml (from £47, www.jomalone.co.uk)

Described as a ‘carnival of scent’, this limited edition fragrance from Jo Malone looks and smells like summer in a bottle.

Taking its inspirational olfactory cue from the intense heat and colourful florals found in Brazil, it also boasts a totally tropical blend of the country’s native cherimoya fruit, with additional notes of juicy pear, passion flower, warming Brazilian copahu resin and hits of creamy tonka bean.

Spray it all over for a perfect summer fragrance that will transport you to sunnier, more exotic climes in just a couple of spritzes.

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Travel

Wednesday May 2 | 2018

Discover the real world of the Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society

As a film adaptation of the bestselling novel hits cinemas, Sarah Marshall looks at island locations linked to the historic story, set in the aftermath of World War II

SAILING INTO HISTORY Via Guernsey’s main harbour, St Peter Port

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HEN resourceful Elizabeth McKenna and her friends accidentally bump into a German patrol after curfew, she quickly excuses their misdemeanours by claiming they are all part of a book club. The ridiculous name of the group, The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society, is inspired by the potato pie one member is holding at the time.

The title of Mary Ann Shaffer’s novel is a fitting tribute to a Channel Island shaped by a jovial community spirit.

A new film adaptation directed by Mike Newell (Four Weddings and a Funeral, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire) follows the story of the ‘accidental’ literary group and it’s central characters through the eyes of journalist Juliet Ashton (Lily James), who is invited to the island by pig farmer Dawsey Adams (Michiel Huisman) after he finds her name scrawled in a book.

Scenic A heartwarming, uplifting tale, the film shines a spotlight on Guernsey’s German occupation during World War II – a period recalled by islanders through museums and historic sites.

But it also highlights the sense of togetherness shared by residents – a quality that makes this island truly unique.

‘The film highlights the sense of togetherness shared by residents – a quality that makes this island truly unique’ Although scenes were largely shot in Devon, the film’s soul undoubtedly belongs to Guernsey.

Discover the Channel Island for yourself by exploring these key sites connected to the story…

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ST PETER PORT Cobbled streets and colourful houses greet visitors to Guernsey’s delightfully compact capital – just as they do with Juliet in the book.

The scenic harbour, where Dawsey Adams works, is a great place to sit back and breathe in the sea air. The Old Town Hospital (now the Guernsey Police Station) is where Elizabeth McKenna works as a volunteer.

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THE LITTLE CHAPEL Locals claim this is the smallest chapel in the world, and as it measures five metres by three metres, they might be right.

It was built in 1914 by French monk Brother Deodat, who wanted to created a miniature version of the grotto and basilica at Lourdes.

WELCOME TO MY WORLD… Juliet (Downton Abbey’s Lily James) meets Dawsey (Game of Thrones’ Michiel Huisman) In the film, Dawsey takes Juliet to see the curious building, which is decorated with seashells, pebbles and broken china. There is no charge to enter – the building’s upkeep relies solely on donations.

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THE SHIP & CROWN Previously the Crown Hotel, which is mentioned in the novel, this traditional pub overlooking the marina in St Peter Port will be celebrating the film’s release with a themed

Travel

Wednesday May 2 | 2018

menu. During the Guernsey Heritage Festival (May 2-9), the pub will serve potato peel pies and real ales. There will also be special events and talks about the Occupation and Liberation of the island. Visit www.liberationgroup.com

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ST MARTIN PARISH Walk along the quiet lanes of this parish to see the places where key characters of the Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society

lived. Visit Dawsey Adams’ house in La Bouvee and Eben Ramsey’s residence on Calais Lane – which was also the ‘birthplace’ of the society.

The tourist board has devised a two-hour themed walk running from Sausmarez Manor – which survived damage during the Occupation because the owner refused to install electric lights – to the Old German Bunker, now a bird hide. It’s Walk 20 if you download maps and an audio guide from www.visitguernsey.com

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FERMAIN BAY “It’s beautiful – a rugged path that wanders up and around the headland,” exclaimed Juliet after walking a route from Fermain Bay back to St Peter Port.

Regularly mentioned in the book, this pebbly beach on the island’s east coast can be reached by a cliff-top walk. Refuel at the Fermain Beach Café, where gluten-free cakes and sandwiches are served.

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SMALL IS BEAUTIFUL The Little Chapel is thought to be the smallest in the world

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GERMAN OCCUPATION MUSEUM For an idea of what life must have been like during the Occupation, visit this immersive museum, founded and run by local Richard Heaume, who started collecting bullets from fields as a schoolboy.

Filled with re-created shopfronts, Occupation Street gives an impression of what St Peter Port looked like from 1940-45.

Entry is £6. For more information, visit www.germanoccupationmuseum.co.uk

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FORT SAUMAREZ German forces quickly realised the potential of Guernsey’s Martello towers. At Fort Saumarez, built on the site of an existing battery in 1804, they constructed their own observation tower.

A fine example of the fortifications used during World War II, you’ll find it on the headland that forms the northern tip of L’Eree and extends to the Lihou causeway.

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PUT THE FLAGS OUT The pretty streets of St Peter Port

CANDIE GARDENS Anyone looking to discover the history of the island, just like Juliet, should visit the excellent Priaulx Library, filled with books, maps and documents about Guernsey.

The collection is housed in Candie House, a Georgian building bequeathed to the island by scholar and bibliophile Osmond de Beauvoir Priaulx – along with his book collection.

Spare some time to explore the property’s 19th-century pleasure gardens, where views spill across St Peter Port. Visit www.priaulxlibrary.co. uk and www.museums.gov.gg/candiegardens

How to get there Prestige Holidays offers a three-night trip to Guernsey from £439 per person, including flights from Southampton and staying at the four-star Bella Luce Hotel, in the parish of St Martin, which is where Dawsey, Amelia, Isola and Eben all lived in the novel.

Regional flights are also available. Visit www.toursprestigeholidays.co.uk/bella-luce

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Motoring

Wednesday May 2 | 2018

FIRST DRIVE:

The new

Mercedes A-Class

WHAT IS IT?

Mercedes-Benz is the first to release the next wave of premium hatches, but is it enough to get ahead of the game?

Ryan Hirons heads to Croatia to find out

Premium hatchbacks have fast become one of the most popular segments on the market today, with three clear leaders – the Audi A3, BMW 1 Series, and Mercedes A-Class. Despite this, they’ve all remained relatively unchanged for a few years, but Mercedes has been the first to pull the trigger on the new generation of luxury hatches.

Not only does the three-pointed star have its sights set on getting an early lead in its class – with a new 1 Series on the horizon – but also on setting a new tech benchmark.

WHAT’S NEW?

Although still instantly recognisable as an A-Class there’s plenty of new tech and engineering.

The biggest selling point is a new infotainment system, dubbed MBUX (Mercedes-Benz User Experience). It’s designed to offer a more immersive experience – bringing a new ‘Mercedes Me’ voice assistant, tons of customisability and some augmented reality features for satnav.

Elsewhere, there’s semi-autonomous tech and a range of new engines – two petrol and one diesel.

WHAT’S UNDER THE BONNET?

Powering our test car is a new 1.5-litre fourcylinder diesel engine, paired with a sevenspeed automatic dual-clutch automatic gearbox.

If you want a manual gearbox, other options will be available later. It develops 114bhp and 260Nm of torque, capable of taking the A-Class from 0-60mph in 10.3 seconds, and on to a 126mph top speed. As for economy, Mercedes claims 62.7mpg can be achieved on the combined cycle, with CO2 emissions of 108g/km.

It’s not the most powerful of units, but it’s brisk enough for daily usage and feels well refined on longer cruises, with little noise to be heard in the cabin. It does hold on to gears a little long when pulling out of junctions, but the seven-speed unit is otherwise faultless.

WHAT’S IT LIKE TO DRIVE?

It’s a no-frills driving experience, going about its business in a muted but capable manner. If you want to drive enthusiastically, the car will allow you to, but it won’t be the most fun you’ve had

behind a wheel. It’s much better suited to long-distance cruising. The semi-autonomous driving technology – which comes in the form of adaptive cruise control with road sign recognition – means chewing up the motorway miles can be a stress-free experience, although not the most comfortable as a result of firm suspension.

Take it around town, and a short turning circle combined with good all-round visibility makes it easy enough to use as a daily machine.

HOW DOES IT LOOK?

This is the latest Mercedes to take on the more angular design language as introduced on the CLS, and it’s effective in bringing it up to date.

Buyers will want to know their car will still stand out on the road – and it does, thanks to sharp lines and a subtly aggressive look.

WHAT’S IT LIKE INSIDE?

Luxurious and comfortable. There are tons of premium-feel materials throughout the cabin, such as synthetic leather upholstery, metaleffect trim pieces and a Nappa leather steering wheel. Not only does it all feel good to the touch, but it’s solidly put together.

As for space, four adults can sit in the car in

THE KNOWLEDGE MODEL AS TESTED:

MAX SPEED: 126mph

Mercedes A180d AMG Line

0-60MPH: 10.3 seconds

ENGINE: 1.5-litre

MPG : 62.7 combined

four-cylinder diesel

EMISSIONS: 108g/km

POWER: 114bhp

PRICE: £28,540

TORQUE: 260Nm

relative comfort – although rear space may be limited for those on the taller side. The boot is bigger, too, boasting 370-litres of luggage space.

WHAT’S THE SPEC LIKE?

Our test car came in AMG Line trim, meaning standard equipment includes 18-inch alloy wheels, AMG bodystyling, LED headlights, keyless start and the MBUX system on a seven-inch touchscreen. Options highlights include heated and ventilated seats, active parking assist and two 10.25-inch displays – one of the instrument cluster, and another for the MBUX, which is the real highlight: Not only is it intuitive, but has a range of customisation options.

A ‘Mercedes Me’ voice assistant has been added here, too. In theory, it’s a great idea but it often struggles to pick up basic phrases. However, as it’s cloud based, it’s likely to be fast-improving.

VERDICT

The new A-Class has set a benchmark for new premium hatchbacks. It offers a well-equipped package with technology that perhaps wouldn’t be seen on cars twice the price. For the imageconscious and tech-focused buyer, there may not be a better car on sale today.

Motoring News

Drop in diesel demand fuels Nissan job losses HUNDREDS of jobs at Nissan’s plant in Sunderland are being cut due to a drop in demand for diesel cars..

The company said the losses were not due to Brexit, or directly linked to declining demand for diesels, but due to ‘operational changes’, as the company transitions to a new range of powertrains over the next year.

They said in a statement: “As we make the operational changes required to support this, we will be managing a planned short-term reduction in powertrain supply and plant volumes at NMUK. We are now discussing these operational changes with our employees.”

It’s thought several hundred people will be made redundant. Around 7,000 workers are currently employed at the Sunderland site, which builds the Juke and Qashqai models, as well as the latest all-electric Leaf.

UK sales of new diesel cars have dropped by a third compared to 2017 – due in part to a tax rise on new diesel vehicles, and confusion caused by a government announcement that sales of all new diesel and petrol cars and vans would be banned by 2040.

Cars to power the Grid AN INNOVATIVE energy supplier has revealed a new domestic ‘vehicle-to-grid charger’ which is set to be rolled out this summer.

Ovo Energy’s system allows owners of electric vehicles to sell surplus energy from their cars back to the National Grid. This could help offset the cost of running an electric vehicle.

The system is due to be rolled out in a trial this summer to 1,000 electric vehicle owners, and can also check energy pricings.

Ovo Energy CEO Stephen Fitzpatrick said this will help ‘to solve one of the biggest challenges facing the energy sector’.

The firm has also released a new home energy storage system for domestic users.

New self-driving vision JAGUAR Land Rover is leading a new project aimed at manufacturing cars that can ‘see’.

The initiative, called AutopleX, is developing autonomous vehicles that are able to detect obstacles and even look around corners.

The technology would allow self-driving cars to better detect potential hazards, and enable them to operate more effectively in challenging and congestion-heavy environments.

Chris Holmes, Connected and Autonomous Vehicle Research Manager at the British manufacturer, said: “This project is crucial in order to bring self-driving cars to our customers in the near future.” He added that the firm would ‘empower our self-driving vehicles to operate safely in the most challenging real-world traffic situations’.

Wednesday May 2 | 2018

Advertising

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Recruitment

Wednesday May 2 | 2018

WITH THE

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

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.

3 5 7 9

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12 14

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24 3

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6 7 1

4 2 8 7 9

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9 7

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3 2 4 3

4 5 2 1

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

8 5 CODEWORD 1 9 4 3 5 3 6

1 8 5 1

CLASSIFIEDS

Codeword:

© 2016 Syndicated Puzzles, Inc.

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DIFFICULTY RATING:★★★★

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2 7 3

6 7

© 2016 Syndicated Puzzles

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DIFFICULTY RATING: ★★II

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LAST WEEK’S SOLUTIONS

SUDOKU & JIGSAW SUDOKU

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

S U B V E R U A J S U N B E A I T C E Q U A T O R D A M I D E M G S CO R N K R O P T WO R O U E P O S E D

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T S M U OWN R A T M F I L E X T T A S U B L E Y E

H I T A L L I C G S A R E L S I Z B A

9 2 1 4 8 3 7 6 5

4 5 8 2 6 7 1 3 9

8 4 2 6 7 5 3 9 1

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

R D A M Y T B I M E M E X S T O L L

Sudoku:

1 3 4 8 5 9 2 7 6

5 9 7 3 2 6 4 1 8

2 8 6 7 1 4 9 5 3

6 7 3 5 9 1 8 4 2

3 6 9 1 4 8 5 2 7

7 1 5 9 3 2 6 8 4

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

1 8 2 5 4 9 6 3 7

9 5 7 1 8 3 4 2 6

© 2016 Syndicated Puzzles

CODEWORD 1

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Sport

Please send sports stories to: newsdesk@timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk or newsdesk@timesoftonbridge.co.uk

Weary Rustics must wait to hear about relegation Rusthall 2 Croydon 7

By Rich Smith FOOTBALL: RUSTHALL have been left to sweat on their fate after finishing second from bottom in the Southern Counties East League Premier Division in their debut season.

The tough campaign ended at home to Croydon, and the Rustics knew that victory was crucial if they were to have a chance of moving above Hollands & Blair and guarantee their safety.

Morale in the camp was improving after picking up points in two drawn games against Lordswood and AFC Croydon Athletic during the week.

SEVENOAKS WIN THE LEAGUE Sevenoaks Town were crowned champions of the Southern Counties East League Premier Division with a game to spare after their 2-1 victory at Erith Town. Micky Collins’ highly consistent side won 26 of their 37 games with just four defeats and are now promoted to the Bostik League South Division.

FOUR DECADES OF DEDICATION Rusthall’s last game of the season also marked the retirement of long-serving club official Rich Smith, who has provided reports for the Times throughout this historic season.

The crowd was boosted by many former players who had represented the Rustics during more than 40 years that Rich has been involved with the club.

He has been asked to take up the role of President, and accepted the accolade – he will be the first person to fill the post since the death of Bob Woodhams.

Philip Smith, the Chairman of the Kent FA, attended the game to thank Rich for his loyal service to local football.

They may still survive the drop, even though the bottom two teams usually go down, because the Football Association is undergoing a reconfiguration of Steps 4 and 5 of the pyramid structure. But they must wait a fortnight before learning their destiny.

The game started badly for Rusthall as they went 2-0 down after just nine minutes. But they showed their fighting spirit and got themselves back in the contest with two goals in four minutes, from Yannick Tchoundjin and Dan Mitchell.

Fatigue But they went behind again in first-half stoppage time when they conceded a penalty and former Crystal Palace player Ashley-Paul Robinson calmly slotted home the spot kick.

Rusthall had had to play four games in eight days and fatigue became a telling fact in the second half as they wilted under pressure against a very good Croydon side.

The home side’s skipper Paul Butler was sent off for deliberate handball, which meant the tiring Rustics played the final 25 minutes with 10 men and conceded a further four goals.

GAME CHANGER: Loyal club servant Rich Smith will become Rusthall’s new President

Tonbridge Angels 0 Leatherhead 2

Ladies preserve perfect home record by defeating champions Tonbridge Angels Ladies 2 Thamesview 1

By Dan Couldridge FOOTBALL: TONBRIDGE ANGELS Ladies ended

their league campaign with a hard fought 2-1 win against champions Thamesview, ending the top side’s 100 per cent record.

The victory for the Angels, who were runners-up in the table, also preserved their own perfect home league record. The two teams will now meet in the Kent Divisional Cup final on May 17.

Tonbridge stuck to a game plan of organised

defence and quick counter-attacks in the first half and this proved highly effective.

Thamesview had the best chance of the opening exchanges with a header from six yards out from a corner, but it was directed straight into the arms of goalkeeper Sam Wright.

The visitors’ frustrations appeared to deepen as the half wore on and they were stunned by two goals in the space of three minutes just before the interval.

On 41 minutes Lauryn Underhill broke away down the right and her shot deflected into the face of Becky Jarvis.

Amid the confusion Megan Akehurst laid the ball off for Underhill, who fired her shot into the

PHOTO: David Couldridge

By James Rowe

ELDER STATESMAN Nathan Elder scored 65 goals for Tonbridge Angels

THUMBS UP: Robert Chick cheers on his beloved Angels from the touchline as ‘gaffer for the day’

Fan Robert relishes role as manager

By Andy Tong

Club legend Elder bids farewell FOOTBALL: VETERAN striker Nathan Elder was unable to find the target in his last game for Tonbridge Angels as an inconsistent season for the home side ended in defeat by the Tanners.

Having joined the club three years ago, initially on a month’s loan from Dover Athletic, the burly forward has made 142 starts for the club and scored 65 goals, placing him in the top 20 all-time marksmen for the club.

There was little to play for with either team, and the Angels finish their campaign in 11th place in the Bostik League Premier.

Elder had two decent opportunities around the half-hour mark, he and Joe Turner forcing a dou-

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PHOTO: David Couldridge

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ble save from Leatherhead goalkeeper Emmanuel Agboola.

From the resulting corner Elder had the ball in the net but his effort was disallowed for pushing.

Leatherhead took the lead in the 41st minute with Tom Derry neatly converting Nathan Wood’s cross past Angels keeper Jonny Henly.

Four minutes after the restart Derry was through on goal again but Henly brought him down in the area, though he made amends by saving the spot-kick.

At the other end Liam Smith forced a great save from Agboola but it was the visitors who doubled their advantage in the 61st minute with a defencesplitting move that ended with Dan Gallagher getting the vital touch.

The home side continued to look for the breakthrough but it was the sixth-placed visitors who always looked the likelier to score, using both flanks to good advantage. net from the edge of the box.

Two minutes later, the Thamesview defence was caught napping by Akehurst, who carved them open and teed up Jarvis to chip the ball over the advancing goalkeeper from 25 yards.

The half-time break allowed the Chatham side to recover their composure and they quickly reduced the arrears in the second half.

Staunch However, their goal was not without an element of good fortune as a Tonbridge clearance struck the referee on the edge of the box.

Wright was unable to hold on to the resulting shot and the ball rebounded to Shannon Redhouse, who made no mistake with her finish.

Forty minutes of staunch defence followed as Thamesview piled on the pressure.

But led by their captain Sharon Lyons, Angels stood firm to clinch victory.

KEEN Angels supporter Robert Chick was the club’s ‘gaffer for the day’ for the team’s final league game of the season against Leatherhead.

Robert stood in the dugout with his fellow manager Steve McKimm and helped to give the team talk at half-time.

He and his father Bernard are well known to Angels supporters and Bernard is planning to launch a disability club based at the Longmead ground, offering various sporting activities.

McKimm described Rob’s contribution as ‘fantastic, out there geeing the boys up’, and added: “I bet he’d say the same as me, it’s hard to gee them up when they’re down in the dumps.

“But it was brilliant, a great experience for him I hope, and maybe we’ll do another one.”

The winner was decided by a prize draw, with proceeds going towards the playing budget.

Fatigue McKimm was forced to trim three players from his senior squad because of financial difficulties.

His first-choice team also suffered several serious injuries including captain Tom Parkinson, who only came back for the last three games after suffering an injury in September.

Summing up the campaign McKimm said: “It’s a deflating end to a very disappointing season, and I’m not just listening to the fans when I say that. We haven’t done enough at the right times.”

Having missed out on the play-offs by just a point last seaon, Angels were consigned to an 11th place finish in the Bostik League Premier.

He added: “This has probably been as tough as my first season, when I had no players at all.

“We have competed against the teams above us, but against the ones below us we fell short.”

At the end-of-season awards dinner it was announced that the club President, Rob Steele, had decided to step down and his place would be taken by former Chairman Steve Churcher.

END OF SEASON AWARDS Men’s 1st XI: Manager’s Player of the Year: Joe Turner Players’ Player of the Year: Joe Turner Supporters’ Player of the Year: Joe Turner Leading scorer: Alex Akrofi (19 Goals) Ladies: Manager’s Player of the Year: Becky Jarvis Players’ Player of the Year: Becky Janes Leading scorer: Becky Janes (31 goals)

Sport

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Wells crowned Sevens champions for first time and Social – with the Kent Girls Sevens Championship contested the next day.

In the elite section Tunbridge Wells were undefeated in the group stage, beating Whiting & Hammond, Richmond Renegades, the T4Takers com-

HOME SWEET HOME Tunbridge Wells’ Mike Doherty lifts the Elite Sevens trophy

prising Sidcup and Old Dartfordians players, and Penarth Bears.

They met touring side and past winners Seven Dwarfs in the semi-final and the hosts, fielding several first-team players, won by three tries to one.

The final saw Wells facing Richmond Renegades again and Wells were triumphant thanks to the pace from Ryan Taylor-Dennehy, Max Douch (with two tries) and Richard Newton.

The men of the tournament were Mike Doherty and Angus Horne.

In the Social Sevens, Spanish guest side Bera Bera defeated T4Takers 7-1.

Eighteen teams from Under-13s to Under-18s took part in the girls’ tournament. Westcombe Park won the Under13 Plate and the A21s – a mixture of players from Sevenoaks and Tunbridge Wells – were the Under-15 winners.

A mixed side of Old Alleynians and Beccehamians were close winners in the

Under-18 final against Tunbridge Wells, winning 26-24.

Bruce Elliott of Tunbridge Wells RFC said: “From those only just starting their rugby journey for the

PHOTO: Bruce Elliott

RUGBY: TUNBRIDGE WELLS won the elite tournament at the Whiting & Hammond Kent Sevens for the first time on Saturday [April 28].

The event featured 10 sides in the men’s competition – split into Elite

Captain O’Sullivan edges see-saw encounter to end season on a high

By Adam Hookway RUGBY: TONBRIDGE JUDDIANS ended a successful first campaign in National Two South with a tight victory over Bury St Edmunds [BSE] at The Slade.

The visitors opened the scoring after a period of TJ possession. The home side conceded a penalty, the ball was sent into touch and BSE won the line-out and mauled the ball over the line.

At five-metre scrum from a line-out the home pack pushed the visitors back over their own line for No 8 Will Colderick to score an unconverted try.

A see-saw game ensued and it wasn’t

until the half-hour mark that TJs scored again. Second-rower Rory McHugh sped off down the wing and offloaded to Finlay Coxon-Smith on his inside, and the centre went over for an unconverted try to give TJs the lead.

Sent off It was short-lived, as BSE found a gap in the TJ defence for a converted try and went in at the break 14-10 ahead.

The second half started badly for TJs. After 46 minutes Sami Atiola was sent off, and BSE took advantage to extend their lead. A loose pass was intercepted

and their winger ran half the length of the field to score another converted try.

TJs took a while to come to terms with the red card but they set up camp in the BSE 22 and, after several penalties, the forwards forced the ball over the line for hooker Ryan Jackson to touch down.

Fly-half substitute Liam Prescott added the extras to take the score to 17-21.

Having closed the gap, TJs conceded again as BSE scored their fourth converted try to earn a bonus point.

The hosts dug deep, however, as they have done several times this season.

Winger George Lawson intercepted to scamper in from halfway but the BSE cover kept him out wide and although another try went unconverted, it put TJs

DUAL WINNERS: The A21s, a mix of Sevenoaks and Tunbridge Wells players, winners the Under-15s Kent Sevens, with Brian Whiting (far left) within reach of the visitors at 22-28.

The pack continued to press, penning BSE in their own half.

A penalty kick to touch set up TJs with a good attacking line-out position. The catch was made, the drive came on and captain Mike O’Sullivan dotted down. Prescott converted and at last TJs had

PHOTO: Adam Hookway

Tonbridge Juddians 36 Bury St Edmunds 28

Under-13s through to those girls playing their last matches before progressing to senior rugby, it was a great display of sporting ability from start to finish.”

regained the lead at 29-28.

With five minutes left an almost identical series of plays ended when Reece Conlon was driven over by the pack, with Prescott converting.

The victory confirmed Tonbridge Juddians in sixth place in the league, a commendable position for a newcomer to National Two South.

LEAD BY EXAMPLE: Skipper Mike O’Sullivan restores TJs’ lead at The Slade