P. 4-7 STAYING ALIVE
Free First Aid is at our heart
P. 8-19 ON THE HOME SKETCH
BID DIRECTOR
Sarah-Jane Adams
A crisp new season is upon us, and with the leaves falling, we’re reflecting on a busy summer of fantastic local events. Art Week and its accompanying colouring book were hugely successful, bringing our town together with over 500 bookable slots at events and workshops run by some of our most creative town centre businesses.
In this issue, you can expect to hear from some of the brilliant businesses that we are proud to represent, promoted at no extra cost to them - ideal for finding a new retailer, restaurant or service as the festive period approaches. This November, we’ll be switching from a magazine format to a Christmas gift guide - pick it up soon!
P. 20-25
Art Week special coverage
COLOURING IS COOL
Crafty book is on the right lines
P. 26-27
QUICK ON THE DRAW
Competition gives us art attack
P. 28-31
HOP TO IT
Fuggles Beer Café
P. 32-37
POLISHING UP THEIR ACT
The YMCA are furniture fans
P. 38-41
GLAM SQUAD
Strike a pose with Natasha Hodges
BIDDIRECTOR@RTWTOGETHER.COM
WWW.RTWTOGETHER.COM
P. 42-47
JUST OUR TYPE
Kall Kwik print magzine
AND
INSTAGRAM: RTWTOGETHER
TWITTER: RTWTOGETHER
YOUTUBE: TUNBRIDGE WELLS TOGETHER
LINKEDIN.COM/COMPANY/RTWTOGETHER
Free first aid courses show that BID has finger on the pulse of what businesses need.
The RTW Together Business Improvement District has offered town centre businesses the chance to save money on saving a life with a series of free Emergency First Aid at Work training days. With 80 employees taking part so far, the training is professionally delivered and includes certification for those taking part.
The Highfield Level 3 Award meets the HSE requirements for training emergency first aiders, and is usually worth £95 per attendee. The syllabus covers aspects such as unconscious casualties, CPR, choking, bleeding, shock and more minor injuries.
BID Director Sarah-Jane Adams says, “This course has proven to be very well subscribed, and all of the spaces on offer have been filled, with a waiting list in place – it’s really important that town centre staff have the skills to help with any incident that may occur, as they are very likely to be first on the scene of accident or injury among the public in our restaurants, shops, salons and offices, as well as helping colleagues who may be in distress.”
Local business owner Matthew Sankey is one of the employers who has benefitted from sending staff to learn these emergency basics. “We are all incredibly busy and things like First Aid courses can fall off the radar as other jobs tend to command more attention. In addition, having these funded by the BID goes towards seeing value from the levy.”
Rich Simm of The George and Ragged Trousers pubs added, “I sent someone from each of the pubs and they found it very helpful. For me it has ticked something important off my list (and for free!)”
Previous free training from the BID has included helping over 200 town centre workers to learn the basics of self defence, and upcoming sessions include topics such as anti-drink spiking, what makes a great business website and improving the kerb appeal of premises.
If you operate a town centre business, and would like to find out which free sessions are currently available, contact biddirector@ rtwtogether.com ■
Manic Ceramix, Camden Road.
Promoting town centre pockets of creativity, Art Week encouraged members of the public to make a masterpiece!
The RTW Together Business Improvement District brought the first Art Week to Royal Tunbridge Wells town centre with a week of activities from August 22 to 29. A programme of arts and crafts related classes, workshops and online talks were offered to the public FOR FREE, with 547 spaces available to secure a place across 20 different events.
Items up for grabs included photography classes and watercolour painting on The Pantiles, making moving toys with Whirligig Toys at the Amelia Scott, hand tied bouquet floristy workshops at The Cove, bath bomb making at Lush, design a duck at Manic Ceramix, embroidery, still life, and glass making at Glass by Claudia. The timetable offered a mixture of activities for both adults and children, and sessions took place in businesses represented by the BID across the town centre.
BID Director for Royal Tunbridge Wells Together, Sarah-Jane Adams, designed the concept of Art Week to showcase the town’s creativity: “Royal Tunbridge Wells is such an
aesthetically pleasing town, with a high concentration of makers, artists and creative businesses, as well as a long history of being immortalised in works of art. We wanted to highlight some of these businesses, and allow families and individuals to come into the town centre to enjoy a free activity, learn a new skill and discover a new local business. We hope there was range of options for everyone, whether you’re an art buff or stick figures are your limit!”
One business owner who took part, Phil Reid, of The Cove, High Street, says “The Cove were super excited to be involved in Art Week, we think it’s a fantastic idea, to be
“People had the opportunity to learn something new and discover a new talent!”
able to provide people the opportunity to learn something new, discover a new talent, and do that through town centre businesses.”
The week proved to be an overwhelming success, with many participants sending in their thanks and feedback after completing a workshop.
One such happy customer was Shabana, who said, “I would like to thank all those involved in making Art Week come to life. It was the last part of the summer holidays when all the fun had already seemed to be had, but the activities available for Art Week were exactly what my boys needed. They were looking forward to some of the listed activities and were throughly satisfied taking part. The businesses that were involved were amazing at what they did. Some of the businesses had
never done anything like this in the past but they smashed it! Special credit to the staff at Walsh Bros jewellers - my boys are into gem stones and have an extensive collection and this session was very fun, interactive and educational. We would love to take part in the activities in the future and look forward to more businesses opening their doors, sharing their talents and crafts with us.”
RTW Together rounded off the week of free fun with an outdoor event, offering face
painting, a glitter bar, balloon modelling and colouring book giveaways at the Calverley Precinct clock tower, all at no charge. Our arty stilt walkers were also a hit with young creatives.
Sarah-Jane Adams concludes: “We received such overwhelmingly positive feedback for Art Week, that we’re certainly planning on bringing it back for 2023! Our youngest participant was 18 months old, ranging up to couples in their 70s. Groups of friends, mothers and daughters and families with young children all took part in activities, and there’s room for us to provide even more choice and sessions next time around.”
For details of future free town centre events, follow us on Twitter and Instagram: @rtwtogether ■
YOUNG EXPLORERS GO ON A GEM QUEST AT WALSH BROS JEWELLERS
SERENELY DRAWING STILL LIFE AT CASTLE FINE ART, HIGH STREET
A SMASHING TIME MAKING GLASS COASTERS AT GLASS BY CLAUDIA, MONSON
CREATIVE KIDS MAKE CARDBOARD CREATIONS WITH WHIRLIGIG TOYS
PAGE TURNER
The unexpected hit of the summer, did you find a free town centre colouring book for your little ones? (Or you!)
The RTW Together Business Improvement District has created the first Royal Tunbridge Wells colouring book as part of its inaugural Art Week event, which took place from August 22nd-29th.
Featuring familiar scenes from across the town centre, landscapes to colour include Royal Victoria Place, Chapel Place, The High Street, The Ivy, Sankey’s Old Fishmarket, Spa Valley Railway and The Pantiles. Local illustrators were commissioned for
the project, featuring talent from Royal Tunbridge Wells, Tonbridge and Sevenoaks.
The 40-page professionally produced book was completely free to pick up around the town centre from August 22nd, with an initial run of 2k copies given away. Enthusiastic artists were encouraged to scribble their way to success with a colouring competition, completing a page in the book to win £100 hampers of art goodies from either Rymans or M. Saltmarsh. Sue Luck cast her expert eye over the entries as judge, being proprietor of M. Saltmarsh, the oldest indie art shop in England.
BID Director Sarah-Jane Adams is thrilled with the response: “The first town centre colouring book has proven to be very popular, even before launch, with rumours circulating on social media about where to get your hands on one! We really wanted this piece to look exactly like a professional colouring book and the fact that we’re able to supply
it for free enables us to bring extra visitors into businesses who are stocking it. It’s also a real celebration of the beautiful vistas and architecture that make up the centre of Royal Tunbridge Wells, and showcases a mixture of outdoor scenes and business frontages – and grown ups are loving it too!”
One business that saw the demand first hand was Brittens Music, Grove Hill Road: “We had lots of customers ask about the beautiful colouring book as we displayed them throughout our piano showroom. They happily took a copy away for their children, commenting that it was almost too beautiful to colour in and they might keep it as a keepsake of the town!”
Printed by Kall Kwik on Camden Road, the colouring book was a real communityfocused, collaborative effort, from the artists who created the drawings and the local printer that printed each copy, to the town centre businesses that displayed them proudly and the members of the public who took them home to be treasured or coloured in. The unexpected success of the colouring book has proven that when we put Royal Tunbridge Wells and its places and people
at the heart of what we do, the response is incredibly positive.
“As a BID, our mission is to make our town a fantastic place to live and work and to promote it as such, and the colouring book is a perfect of example of that,” Sarah-Jane concludes. “People have been introduced to businesses they may not have previously known about through their search for a colouring book.”
Businesses that stocked the book included The Amelia Scott, The Plant Base, Sankey’s, Glass by Claudia, Bodyworks Lab, Ruby’s of London, Fuggles Beer Café, Seasalt, Fixio, Stampede, Il Vesuvio, Manic Ceramix and many others, although demand has been incredibly high. RTW Together has limited stock available from our HQ in 52 High Street, if your business would like a supply - or you’d like one for personal use. ■
GRAHAM AT KALL KWIK, CAMDEN ROAD, EXPERTLY PUTS TOGETHER THE COLOURING BOOK
WHIRLIGIG TOYS
SEASALT
RUBY’S OF LONDON ARE FEATURED IN ILLUSTRATIVE FORM.
Artists of all ages have been hard at work creating colouring masterpieces as part of RTW Together’s Art Week competition. With three age categories, entrants chose a page to complete from our free town centre colouring book, with 2k copies given away.
Tasked with judging the submissions was Sue Luck, of M. Saltmarsh, Monson Road, the oldest independent art shop in the country.
“It is really good to be involved as a judge, as you see the wide variety of entries into the competition and the colouring book has given an opportunity for people to do this. The popularity of it really showed in the entries.
For the under 10s, I found it very difficult
to pick out of this category, I could have easily picked four or five that came close to winning. What I really like about this one is the expressiveness of it. I like the fact that whoever has done this has added something into the colouring that wasn’t already there. Obviously the rainbow is very relevant and this is incredible for a five year old. I am really impressed, an excellent winner. (Winner: Daisy Chick, who wins a £100 art hamper from Rymans, Monson Road)
For the 11-17s, this entry was beautifully executed. It is very artistically done, they have a clear understanding of depth and perspective. It is very harmonious and a good contrast between the sky, which is quite vivid, and the buildings. They have added a real depth into the drawing with the use of colour giving it a new dimension. (Winner: Sophie Sandor, who wins a £100 art hamper from Rymans, Monson Road)
With the adult winner, they have just taken it and turned it into theirs and for me that is what art is - you can copy someone else’s painting, but once you have made it yours its not theirs anymore and I really like that about it. Johanna has only used two colours in there but has added a lot of life into it and it really stands out amongst the other
entries.” (Winner, Johanna Ross, who wins a £100 art hamper from M. Saltmarsh, Monson Road)
Thank you to our friends at M. Saltmarsh and Rymans, both of Monson Road, for helping us with our colouring competition, and in the case of Rymans, generously gifting items towards the prizes. ■
PUT ON YOUR beer GOGGLES AT FUGGLES - IT’S JUST A HOP AWAY!
GROSVENOR ROAD
Fuggles Beer Café, as the name would suggest, specialises in craft beers, with a side-line in sustainable and organic wines, whisky and gin, and other spirits and soft drinks. Since its inception in 2013, Fuggles has become a staple local independent pub for locals and visitors alike, sourcing the best and most unique drinks that the UK and beyond has to offer.
“I’m Alex and I run Fuggles Beer Café and Bottle Shop. We’ve been operating from Grosvenor Road in Tunbridge Wells since 2013 and in Tonbridge since 2017, with a new Bottle Shop on Camden Road in the mix since 2021.
It’s coming up to our 10-year anniversary in 2023, if we manage to make it there,” Alex tells us from the original Fuggles in Tunbridge Wells. “I would love to put on all the original beers that we had when we first started, but a lot of them are out of production now so it might not be completely possible!”
Named after a locally grown hop propagated by the Fuggles family in Wadhurst, Alex’s beer café brand is, in a nutshell, “a great place to come and have a great drink. We focus on sourcing and retailing fun and exciting drinks, with a good atmosphere and music to match – that’s literally it.”
Having faced an increasingly challenging retail and hospitality landscape over the last two years, Alex has had to find new ways to make his business work in an incredibly tough climate. “It’s been like opening a new business all over again after the pandemic,” he explains. “We’ve changed so much of how we used to do things. A lot of it has been good and positive, but we’ve had to look at everything that we do and how we do it to make it work in this new environment, and it’s still ongoing even now. We’re constantly
thinking, ‘where can we streamline? Where can we save money?’ We’ve had to be a lot more creative.”
That creativity paid off in the form of the Fuggles Bottle Shop, born out of the online shop that Alex and his team set up during the first lockdown. “Our survival during that time was purely based on the fact that we pivoted into an online shop, and then we decided to carry it on, and that developed into the physical Bottle Shop on Camden Road last year,” he says. “It was a chance to showcase a lot of stuff that we like to do that we can’t always do within the limitations of a pub - a lot more beers, and organic, natural wines as well. We could list and sell so many more interesting and fun drinks online.”
Sustainability is playing a more important
role than ever in the decisions that Alex and his team are making day to day. “We’re constantly looking at eco credentials before we list a product, and it’s impacting other things that we do in the business too,” he says. “For example, the way that we garnish our drinks, what’s the most sustainable way of doing that? Right through to how we deal with waste and energy. Sustainability absolutely informs our choices in terms of who and what we stock.”
In addition to higher running costs, staffing is also an ongoing problem for many businesses. Although Tunbridge Wells is a busy, thriving town with a vibrant independent and local business community, staff recruitment and retention in service industries across the borough is a challenge.
“Staffing has been fairly stable for us in recent times, but it is really challenging trying to recruit staff in hospitality, retail, any service industry.” Alex explains.
talk about the product a lot, with a focus on developing an understanding of the processes behind the products as well.
We do tend to employ people who already have an interest in or passion for something that we offer, because they will naturally want to sell it. We do staff trips to suppliers and really get people into it.”
Despite the ongoing challenges facing independent businesses, Alex maintains that the people are what make Royal Tunbridge Wells a great place to run a business. “It’s a bustling, fun town to have a business in, with a good mixture of people of all ages,” he says. “It keeps it dynamic and interesting; I never get bored doing what I do.
Moving forward into our tenth year, I think we want to achieve that longevity in the business,” Alex concludes. “A bigger focus on sustainability, finding ways to improve our processes and how we do things, championing local businesses, so that we’ll still be here in another ten years.”
For the staff who work in Alex’s cafe and bottle shop, an interest in something that the business has to offer is a must, along with regular discussions about the products.
“Training our staff is very organic – we encourage a lot of active engagement with the product, we want them to taste it and know what to recommend,” he says. “We’re constantly changing the range, so we just
To find out more and plan your visit to Fuggles Beer Café, go to: www.fugglesbeercafe.co.uk.
To order from the online Bottle Shop, visit: www.fugglesbottleshop.co.uk, or drop in on Camden Road. ■
Pining to help a local charity? The YMCA in Royal Victoria Place are doing good with wood!
“The YMCA has given me passion and inspiration for what I do – the skills that I have picked up over the years have empowered me to keep learning,” Jack, one of the many young people who work with the West Kent YMCA’s Upcycling Project, tells us from the charity’s upcycled furniture store in Royal Victoria Place in Royal Tunbridge Wells. “I became homeless while working for the YMCA, so they provided me with sheltered accommodation and regular work. They gave me a roof over my head and a new beginning. I wouldn’t be where I am today without them.”
This is just one of many similar testimonials about the YMCA’s ongoing work with young people. When we sit down to interview YMCA Upcycling Tutor Tina Shea, who works alongside fellow tutors Jason and George to run the project, she passes the mic to the young people she works with almost immediately, asking them to tell their stories.
“I have social anxiety and I never thought I would be able to get a job,” Isabelle, another
of the young people involved in the project, explains. “I couldn’t even answer the phone when I came here, and I never thought I would be able to work in a shop, but the team have built my confidence and now I can do a lot of things that I never thought I would be able to do. It’s hard to find a place of work that allows you to be as creative as the YMCA does. To see the process of the furniture as you upcycle it, paint it, and then
a traineeship in Tonbridge, and then I went away, got some life experience and came back as an adult. Now I work for the Upcycling Project full time.”
The young people involved in the project reach the YMCA in a variety of ways, including through the Government’s Kickstart Scheme and those who are living in sheltered accommodation. Some volunteer for the organisation and then move into full or part time employment or internships, and some complete traineeships and then apply for full time roles. Crucially, the YMCA is there for these young people throughout their lives, from school right through to adulthood. The Horizon Project provides woodworking workshops for school-age children in Tonbridge, while the Bike Project
see it go to its new home – it’s amazing.”
As part of the YMCA’s mission to support vulnerable young people and provide them with the skills, knowledge, and confidence they need to fulfil their potential, the Upcycling Project is a social enterprise launched in 2020 that offers training in upcycling donated furniture from a team of dedicated tutors. These pieces are available to buy from the shop in Royal Victoria Place in Royal Tunbridge Wells, and from the Upcycling Centre in Tonbridge. The tangible, creative, and practical nature of the work has a hugely positive impact on the young people involved.
“The YMCA has supported me since I was 17 and just out of college,” says Sam, now a full-time employee at the upcycled furniture shop in Royal Victoria Place. “I completed
also works closely with schools, with the aim of supporting young people to return to full time education.
“We’re trying to replicate what the Bike Project team have achieved in schools with the Upcycling Project, now that we’re more settled,” Tina tells us. “There are lots of other things that we teach here besides upcycling furniture – budgeting, bills, shopping, cooking, important life skills that they may not have learned but will inevitably need when they move on from sheltered accommodation or full time education.”
So why furniture? “Well, the project came about because West Kent YMCA Business
“It’s hard to find a place of work that allows you to be creative.”
Development Manager Amanda Sheer, and Jason, one of the tutors, started upcycling furniture upstairs in the shop in Good Station Road, Tunbridge Wells, one day per week,” Tina says. “That’s how I came to be involved in the project – I volunteered in the shop, upholstering furniture! When lockdown hit, we decided to launch the Upcycling Project and run it from the workshop in Tonbridge, which has now become the Upcycling Centre.”
Although its focus is on providing young people with the opportunity to learn new skills and gain professional experience, the Upcycling Project also relies on volunteers of all ages to run the Upcycling Centre and Royal Tunbridge Wells furniture shop. “Our volunteers are at very different stages in
The impact that the project has on the young people and volunteers involved is testament to the dedication of the people who run it. Since its inception in early 2020, the team have seen five interns move on from the YMCA to enter into full time jobs or higher education, while others have gone on to work within the organisation. “I don’t think the youngsters would get what they get from us, from other companies,” says Tina. “We nurture them a bit more because we know the situations they’re often in, and that’s what we’re there to do. We’re there to build up their confidence - sometimes it’s as simple as supporting them to get into work on time!
The most important thing for us is that by the time they leave the project, they are also in a position to move out of sheltered accommodation and do
their lives, but they all love being a part of the team here - being able to support the charity and help upcycle furniture gives them a
THE FURNITURE SCHEME PROVIDES REWARDING WORK FOR THOSE WHO NEED IT
what is best for their mental health and safety,” she continues. “When they’re ready to move on, we’re very glad for them to do so... we want to see them succeed.”
For Tina, the best part of her role as a tutor is seeing the young people she nurtures going out into the world on their own. “It’s lovely to see a young person get their confidence and move on,” she explains. “It’s easy for these youngsters to stay in a safe place, as people regard us as a safe space… but you feel like you’ve really done your job when they say, ‘I’m ready’. That’s what we strive to do. It’s so
An ongoing challenge for the team is the messaging surrounding the project. “Some of the customers who visit the shop are taken aback by our prices, not realising that we spend days working on each piece of furniture,” Jack explains. “We price each item based on the time and the skill it took to upcycle it, but also to ensure that we can keep going – all the money goes right back into the project. The more people we can help and the more stuff we can upcycle and sell, the better.”
Alongside its vital work with young people, sustainability is also a key element of the Upcycling Project. “All the upcycled items available to buy in the shop have been donated – some in better condition than others,” Tina says, smiling. “It’s quite hard to say no to people when they bring an item in that’s beyond repair, but we can’t restore things unfortunately! We take as many items as we can to avoid them going to landfill.”
The Upcycling Project also takes custom orders as and when they come in. Customers often bring in specific items to be upcycled and given a new lease of life by the team, or they see an item or design that they like in the store but require it to be a different size to fit their home. “We save an awful lot of items from going to the tip or landfill,” Tina says. “If somebody is looking for something in particular, we can usually fulfil that request.
We’re keen to get the message across that we’re not just another second-hand furniture store, but a social enterprise,” Tina concludes. “We repair and upcycle furniture, we serve the community, we support young people and help them to upskill.”
“We’re not just another second-hand furniture store.”
Filled to the trim with super stylists, we meet Natasha Hodges to brush up on what’s available at this salon on The Pantiles.
Natasha Hodges Hair is a local independent salon located on the historic Pantiles, owned and run by Natasha herself. With a dedicated team of talented women behind her, from graduate stylists to balayage experts and front of house, Natasha strives to give her clients the very best experience when they visit the salon.
“Hi, I’m Natasha Hodges, and I opened Natasha Hodges Hair at 52 The Pantiles on the 3rd March 2020. I’ve always been in
Tunbridge Wells, and I’ve always loved hair,” Natasha tells us. “I did my first apprenticeship at 14 years old in Toni & Guy and never looked back! I opened the salon here just before the first lockdown and I’ve seen it go from strength to strength since then.”
With its entrance on London Road, the salon itself is light, airy, and spacious, with luxurious reclining massage chairs at the shampoo station and shelves of specialist products ready for clients to take home after their appointment. Those visiting the salon are also treated to complimentary drinks, snacks, books, and magazines, and there’s even an order-in service if lunch is calling.
Describing her team as ‘hair magicians and wish-granters’, Natasha’s ethos is all about making sure that her clients leave the salon feeling (and looking) amazing. “That’s why I started out in the hair industry – hair is a big part of how people feel, so I wanted to create an environment where people feel looked
after and valued,” she says. “Our clients really appreciate the ‘me’ time that they get when they have their hair done here.”
Natasha has even been known to close the salon for clients who feel nervous in busy environments, creating a safe space for them to have their appointment. “Stress, mental health, cancer treatment, alopecia, neurodivergence, all of these things can have a huge impact on how somebody feels during a hair appointment,” Natasha explains. “Sometimes we deal with wigs, and the worst thing for that person is sitting in a salon full of people when they’re only just coming to terms with how their hair is changing themselves.
If someone is nervous for whatever reason, and we can offer a slightly different service to accommodate their needs and make them feel comfortable, then we want to do that,” she continues. “I will happily come in on a Sunday, just me and them, to make sure that they can have their pamper time and achieve the look that they want.”
A local employer that is always looking to nurture new talent, Natasha Hodges Hair boasts an all-female team, many of whom have moved back to Tunbridge Wells after living in London or elsewhere. “Lots of my staff have come back to the area – we do tend to employ local people, but we’re also respectful of the other salons in the town. I’m always keen to make sure that there’s plenty of talented people to go around!”
With a mix of skillsets and specialisms within the team, Natasha Hodges Hair offers a huge range of services, from balayage, highlights, and specialist smoothing treatments, to hair extensions, glamorous up-dos, and men’s cuts too. Every client receives an in-depth consultation with their stylist before the work begins, ensuring that the perfect end
result can be achieved.
From her years of experience trying different techniques, Natasha now specialises in creating beautiful, natural colour transformations, precision cutting, and bridal work. “Colour and cutting is my specialism – I love effortless colour, so balayage, highlights that grow out nicely, I love creating glamour,” she says, smiling. “I also do a lot of bridal work, which is a real joy – sometimes our bridal parties like to come to the salon, away from the chaos, and sometimes they prefer to be in their home or hotel, so we do whatever works for them.”
It’s clear that there’s a lot of joy in the work that Natasha and her team do. “Making people happy is my favourite thing about being a hairdresser,” she tells us. “I don’t know what it is, but people feel like they can open up to hairdressers – they come in, they know that they can chat to us openly and say whatever they want without fear or judgement, and then a few hours later they walk out of our doors feeling amazing. They can face the world again.”
For Natasha, the salon’s location in the heart of The Pantiles is just another reason why she absolutely loves what she does as a stylist and business owner. “The location of
the salon is my absolute favourite part about it,” Natasha says, showing us the stunning view of the bandstand from the window in the staff area. “Not only is the view fantastic, but the community spirit among businesses on The Pantiles and in the town as a whole is incredible. Clients will come in and say, ‘I’m starving’ and we’ll say, ‘don’t worry, we can order from Hatton’s or the Zero Waste Company for you, what do you want?!’
It’s so lovely that we can support each other as local businesses, and give our clients that extra something special that really elevates their visit and makes it memorable.”
The year-round calendar of events on The Pantiles also helps to create a bustling, thriving atmosphere that the salon staff and clients enjoy in equal measure. “At Christmas time we have the lights switch on, which is always so festive, plus there’s the markets and all the summer events – Gin & Jazz, Jazz on The Pantiles, they’re all brilliant,” Natasha enthuses. “My staff and I will often sit up here at the window, have a few drinks, and just enjoy whatever’s going on. We’re so lucky to be here.”
Above all else, it’s important to Natasha that her clients feel empowered from the moment they walk into the salon. “We want to create an atmosphere that is welcoming, calming, and friendly, with a focus on making people feel good about themselves – hairdressers can have a bit of a reputation for unfriendliness, but that’s not what we’re about here,” she concludes. “Ultimately, no matter what is happening in our lives, our hair makes us feel amazing. We’re just so proud to play a part in making our clients’ hair dreams come true.”
To find out more about Natasha Hodges Hair or book your appointment, call the team on 01892 320211, or visit www. natashahodgeshair.com ■
PRINTED IN THE TOWN CENTRE
The Business Improvement District’s town centre magazine doesn’t just feature our businesses - it’s made by them! Hot off the press, we visit Kall Kwik, Camden Road.
Kall Kwik, located on the bustling Camden Road in Tunbridge Wells, was taken over by print specialists Wendy Archer and Graham Noakes in 2015. One of 53 Kall Kwik branches across the UK, the Royal Tunbridge Wells store has been in the town since the 1980s, and is now the most successful Kall Kwik in Kent under Wendy and Graham’s leadership.
“We’re Wendy and Graham from Kall Kwik on Camden Road. We specialise in providing high quality design and print services for local businesses in Tunbridge Wells and beyond. Prior to working here, I managed Kall Kwik in Maidstone,” Graham tells us. “We’ve both been in print since leaving school - Wendy is even married to a printer!”
“When the opportunity came up to take over Kall Kwik in Tunbridge Wells, we thought, ‘why not?’ and here we are now, seven years later. We are still our own business as a franchise, but we have the benefits of tapping into other branches if there’s a job we can’t do or need help with, and vice versa,” Wendy explains. “Everything is our own decision, and we are still effectively a small independent business in the town.
Printing the RTWT Magazine, as well as materials for the BID’s events, including Art Week and the Royal Tunbridge Wells Cake Off, is the “bread and butter of what we do” according to Wendy and Graham. “We love printing the magazine – it’s lovely to see it all come together, and we get so many compliments on them,” Wendy says, smiling. “It’s the sort of job that we relish because we know how much of a positive impact it will have locally, for the businesses who are featured in it.”
Kall Kwik also produced the Art Week colouring book, featuring drawings by multiple local artists, which has been flying off the shelves ever since it was made available. “The colouring book was amazing to do,” Graham tells us. “We get a real sense of satisfaction from it, from creating something that looks beautiful, and then we get lovely comments from everyone who comes to pick one up because they think it’s beautiful too. You feel really proud of yourself, and you’re also honouring the artists who created the drawings themselves by doing a really good job on the printing.”
Wendy and Graham were blown away by the number of people coming through their door every day to pick up a colouring book or two. “People are still coming in now, asking for the colouring book. It’s been so incredibly popular. We printed the first 1,000 copies, and they were gone so quickly that we had to print another 1,000 in half the time!
It’s great when you do multiple materials for one job,” Graham says. “You’ve got the colouring book, and the pull up banners, and the selfie boards – you’re doing a lot of stuff for the same event, but when you look at them all at the end, it’s lovely to see it all come together.”
It’s clear that being involved in RTWT initiatives gives local businesses like Kall Kwik a real sense of community. “Events like Art Week have boosted the sense of togetherness in the town massively,” Graham exclaims. “Businesses that wouldn’t ordinarily talk to each other are getting to know each other, which is fantastic. The local community spirit is so important in Tunbridge Wells.
If we were going to try and advertise ourselves, we would say that the Art Week project is a perfect example of what we do,” Graham continues. “It was multiple materials, completed in a very quick timeframe – when a job goes as well as the colouring book did, and you need another 1,000 books quickly, the advantage we have here is the number of machines we’ve got to be able to handle it. We can turn around a job in a short space of time, to a really high standard, and that’s what we see as our USP and our specialism.”
Like the rest of the town, businesses have come and gone on Camden Road over the years, but Graham and Wendy are seeing plenty of new faces. “Camden Road is the best it’s been for a long time,” Wendy says. There were far more empty shops on this road four or five years ago, and now they’ve been taken by some really lovely businesses. It feels like the road is busy and thriving – to see every shop full is fantastic.”
Kall Kwik is the go-to printer for many of their neighbours, both new and old, and Wendy and Graham support them in return. “We’re really neighbourly, and we all try to use each other’s businesses,” Wendy explains. “We print materials for quite a number of the businesses on this road. They don’t have to use us, but they do because they want to support us, and we want to support them. The local community makes the job - you can be having an off day, and someone will come in to make you smile.”
Alongside printing and designing for local businesses, Kall Kwik also produce orders of service for weddings and funerals. “When people come in and see it in print for the first time, and they’ve got a tear in their eye…it just really makes the job,” Wendy says. “It’s so lovely to see their reaction, especially for something so personal and emotive.”
“I’m always amazed by how many strangers we get through the door every day, asking for so many different things – something, somewhere along the line must be working,” Graham concludes. “We’ve got the machinery, the space, the expertise, and the ability to complete large jobs in a short time, without compromising on quality or great customer service, and that’s what we do best. We love a challenge!”
To find out more about Kall Kwik, visit www.kallkwik.co.uk/tunbridgewells, or call 01892535100 ■
