Times of Tunbridge Wells 10th January 2018

Wednesday January 10 | 2018

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Last minute reprieve for MP as he holds on to his seat at Cabinet

Fashion retailer leaves shopping mall

SOAPBOX CHALLENGE Dunorlan to host new charity go karting event Page 3

By Jonathan Banks MP Greg Clark has held on to his job as Business Secretary in a Government reshuffle, that some commentators described as ‘shambolic’. The Tunbridge Wells Member of Parliament was widely predicted to lose his Cabinet role to allow Prime Minister Theresa May to bring in fresh faces. National media reported over the weekend that Mr Clark was likely to step aside to allow Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt to take on the business role.

Refusal But an apparent refusal by Mr Hunt to move meant Mr Clark kept his position as Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, which he has held since 2016. Mr Clark told the Times yesterday: “I’m delighted to be reappointed. “It is a great privilege to serve in the Government, as it is to continue to represent the people of Tunbridge Wells, and I look forward to building on the progress we’ve made in championing British businesses and ensuring the UK is at the forefront of sustainable energy production.” Mr Clark had previously been Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government from 2015-16. Wealden MP Nus Ghani was one of six female MPs promoted, to become Government whip.

INSIDE

ROUTE MASTER GOES KCC Councillor loses role as county’s transport chief Page 3

MOVING OUT: H&M is pulling its kidswear store out of Royal Victoria Place. It is the latest in a line of retailers to quit the shopping centre where there’s now 24 vacant units. Expansion plans for the centre have stalled while its sale to British Land is being negotiated. Full story pages 4-5

Police reshuffle means the town centre will now have its own unit

RECIPE FOR HEALTH How to enjoy delicious and nutritious dishes Pages 44-45

Officers move to Tonbridge but no reduction in numbers on duty By Andy Tong andy@timesoftonbridge.co.uk

SWEEPING changes are taking place in the way that the police operate in the town. From next month, for a trial period, some officers will be working out of Tonbridge police station as their base. But there will also be a new team for Tunbridge Wells town centre. In a move that is described as a ‘pooling of resources’, officers with patrols in and around Tunbridge Wells will report for duty and pick up their cars in Tonbridge, which has much larger facilities than the police station in Crescent Road – though the latter will remain open for business as usual.

But otherwise the brief will remain the same and officers will continue to cover their usual detail. Beat bobbies will continue to report for duty in Tunbridge Wells.

‘It is hoped they will be deployed more quickly in response to major incidents’ The introduction of a dedicated crew for the retail areas of town will offer a more visible presence on the streets. Against a backdrop of swingeing cuts to police forces across the country, with almost 20,000 fewer officers since 2010, the news will come as a welcome boost to

residents and businesses. Previously, Community Safety Units have operated in other parts of the town and across the borough in places like Cranbrook. According to Kent Police, the ‘new crew will bolster the existing numbers’ and their ‘specific remit is the retail centre at the heart of Tunbridge Wells’. Meanwhile the use of Tonbridge as a headquarters will allow officers to get to know each others’ patches. While they will stick to their beats, it is hoped that they will be able to deploy more quickly in response to major incidents because of shared knowledge.

Continued on page 2

POETRY IN MOTION

We meet the Happy Bus poet Louisa Campbell Page 58

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Local News

The new strategy starts in February Continued from page 1 A spokesman said: “Kent Police is continually reviewing how best to deploy its resources in order to provide the best possible service to communities and businesses throughout the county. “This currently includes exploring ways in which officers based at Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells police stations can work together more closely, effectively and efficiently. “We will be putting them together and they will start to learn about each others’ areas, how to get there most efficiently, where certain criminals operate. They will know that they can call on their other colleagues to help.”

Benefit There had been fears that the amalgamation of officers in Tonbridge would lead to a decline in the policing of Tunbridge Wells – and even the eventual closure of the station. A former Chief Inspector of the Metropolitan police, Peter Kirkham, who has become a fierce critic of cuts to the service, tweeted last weekend: “Hearing that District Policing Team (Kent’s equivalent of Response Policing) is being totally withdrawn from Tunbridge Wells which will now be policed from many miles away.” He added: “A major town of 75k [75,000 population] that will have no police

presence since, er, the days of [Sir Robert] Peel!” Kent’s Chief Inspector Chris Mayers responded: “There will be no reduction in the number of officers available for patrols or to attend incidents, as a result of any changes made. “I’d like to reassure residents we will continue to have officers based at Tunbridge Wells Police Station, where we will also be creating an additional team dedicated to policing the town centre. “Changes to the policing model for this part of West Kent will see a greater number of officers based at Tonbridge Police Station, however it is important to understand that, as before, they will also continue to serve the Tunbridge Wells area.” The new strategy comes into force in February and will be subject to review after a period of several months. “There will be ongoing assessment to evaluate the effectiveness of any changes we make,” said Mr Mayers. “However, we are confident that both Tunbridge Wells and Tonbridge can actually benefit as a result of greater resources overall and having the two districts working together more closely will enable us to provide additional support both in rural and town areas.” Figures show that Tunbridge Wells is one of the safest boroughs in the county despite a five per cent rise in crime in the year ending September 2016.

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 240 626 DESIGN/PRODUCTION LEE SMITH lsmith8@markerstudy.com SALES ENQUIRIES sales@onemedia.co.uk | 01892 779650 FIND US ONLINE facebook.com/timeslocalnews timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk twitter.com/timeslocalnews

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CLARIFICATIONS AND CORRECTIONS HERE at the Times of Tunbridge Wells 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

Wednesday January 10 | 2018

Somerhill Stream is one of the most polluted rivers in Britain By Andy Tong andy@timesoftonbridge.co.uk TOXIC pesticide is polluting Somerhill Stream and threatening the local wildlife because it’s poisoning the insect population. And experts are blaming parasite treatments for household pets. The river, which runs for five miles from Southborough to near Tudeley, was the third worst affected watercourse in the UK based on a study by the Environment Agency. The tests carried out on 23 sites across the UK have revealed that Somerhill Stream contains ‘chronic’ quantities of neonicotinoid – and even goes beyond that definition. Only the River Waveney, which divides Norfolk and Suffolk, and the River Tame in the West Midlands exceed the levels found here – and the latter’s figures were skewed by a one-off polluting event that coincided with one of the measurements. Matt Shardlow, Chief Executive of the conservation group Buglife, stated: “It can be concluded that these rivers will have suffered from significant ecological harm. “The levels of contamination are sufficient to cause a range of sublethal effects on mayflies, caddisflies, flies and other invertebrates, and to result in steep declines in invertebrate abundance and declines in bird populations.” The Environment Secretary Michael Gove issued a statement before Christmas calling for tougher restrictions on these pesticides because of growing scientific evidence that they have a harmful effect – especially on bees and other pollinators, around 1,500 of which have a crucial role to play in the food industry. Buglife produced a report on the Agency’s findings, and say the presence of such insecti-

SOURCE OF THE PROBLEM Somerhill Stream north of Tudeley cides is often a result of agricultural use, mainly in arable farming. It also notes the waste water treatment plant at North Farm. But Somerhill Stream showed a particularly high amount of one toxin, imidacloprid, which accounted for 99.3 per cent of its insecticide content. Its contamination of 0.13 microgrammes per litre was far more than any other river in the study. The next worst, the River Ouse in Bedfordshire, showed just a third of that concentration (0.04) but it flows through arable land. Imidacloprid usually indicates the intense presence of horticulture, notably potted plants in nurseries and other greenhouse businesses. But because there are no large-scale garden centres in the vicinity, the investigators concluded that the damage in the Tonbridge area may be caused by treatments to kill parasites such as fleas or ticks in cats and dogs. Mr Shardlow added: “Invertebrate populations in rivers and other waterbodies represent an important part of the UK’s biodiversity, they

provide valuable ecosystem services, recycling organic matter and keeping rivers clean. In addition they provide food for fish and birds.” Elisa Orchard of the Environment Agency told the Times: “We use technology to help us pinpoint the sources of pollution and then use this information to target our work. It’s all about identifying the locations in a catchment where pollution is likely to be worst. “We’ll work with farmers to alert them to the risk and prosecute serious or persistent offenders.” Southern Water was fined £24,000 with costs of £33,218 last year after discharging too much treated sewage into Somerhill Stream from Tunbridge Wells North Waste Water Treatment Works. An Environment Agency spokesman said the breach caused oxygen levels in the water to drop, which could have damaged plants and fish. Southern Water said it would spend £6million on improvements at the works.

Taxi drivers demand action to end abuse or they will strike By William Mata will@timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk RACIAL and religious abuse from customers is forcing taxi drivers to consider strike action. British Transport Police (BTP) say no arrests have yet been made in their investigation of an Islamaphobic rant outside Tunbridge Wells railway station.

On December 30, a man was filmed shouting and swearing at an unnamed 31-year-old driver in a row over the price of a fare. Another Tunbridge Wells taxi driver, who only wanted to be known as Waheed, said incidents like this are frequent. The 31-year-old told the Times he would be the ‘first to strike’ if a motion by Shujaullah Baraki, President of Tunbridge Wells Hackney Drivers Association, is followed through.

“I have experienced racial abuse myself and have been called all kinds of nasty words,” he said. Waheed, who has been a Tunbridge Wells resident for nearly 20 years, said drivers would be prepared to pay their own money towards a security presence. Mr Baraki said strike action was a last resort and that he is hoping to meet Tunbridge Wells Borough Council and Kent Police.

THE SILENCE OVER THE SHOPPING CENTRE IS BOTH DEAFENING AND WORRYING WHAT a shame. Two years ago the owners of Royal Victoria Place were given the green light to go ahead with an ambitious £70million expansion plan. We were told it would create an extra 275 jobs, put £6.9million into the local economy and give us an eight-screen cinema. Much joy all round. And what’s happened since then? Nothing apart from seeing more and more shops become empty and the life drain out of what should be the town’s flagship retail centre. The owners put the centre up for sale and are said to be on the verge of selling it for £100million to the developers British Land. That, though, is just guess work because nobody, including the borough council who own the freehold, is saying anything – least of all to the traders still trying to make a living at the centre. All would no doubt cite legal restrictions. Even if the centre is sold this week, the new

owners might well want to put their own plans in place which means it could be another two years before anything actually happens. We can only hope Royal Victoria Place does not, in the meantime, become the town’s newest eyesore. [See pages 4 & 5] ---------------------------------------------------------------In May last year this editorial opinion column carried comments under the headline: Will we be penalised for being the safest place in Kent? The question was posed because the newspaper was reporting on the fact new figures showed that Tunbridge Wells continued to be the safest place to live in Kent despite a five per cent increase in the amount of crime. We suggested that the figures raised a few disturbing questions because Kent Police, along with every other force, was under pressure to cut costs and meet tight budgets. We went on to write:

“Those that take the big decisions must be tempted to focus their limited resources on areas where they might be most effective and most needed, i.e. places with soaring crime rates.” And we concluded: “Let’s hope the powers that be can resist the temptation to relocate officers, because we want Tunbridge Wells to remain the safest place to live in Kent.” Today this newspaper is reporting on the fact that sweeping changes are about to be made in the way that Tunbridge Wells is policed with some officers being relocated to Tonbridge. According to Kent Police any changes will not see a reduction in the number of officers available for patrols or to attend incidents. Let’s hope the latest scheme really is something of a paper exercise. Time, though, will tell and we’ll be watching... Editorial Director Richard Moore

Local News

Wednesday January 10 | 2018

NEWS IN BRIEF

Hundreds more police will serve on front line UP TO 200 officers and 80 more staff are set to be recruited by Kent Police in the next year. Police and Crime Commissioner Matthew Scott has announced plans to boost the frontline force in his 2018/19 draft funding proposals. The Conservative has authorised the use of £5million from the force’s reserves over three years to support the recruitment drive. The proposals are set to go before Kent and Medway Police and Crime Panel on February 8.

Drink-driving arrests MORE THAN 200 people were arrested by Kent Police in December for drink and drug driving offences, including ten people on Christmas Day. There were 215 arrests from December 1 to January 1 this year, an increase of 90 from 2016. Inspector Daryl McGrath, from Roads Policing Unit, said: “It doesn’t matter what day it is, do not drive at all if you have been drinking any amount of alcohol.”

Roadside wildlife area KENT Wildlife Trust has created a new Roadside Nature Reserve in Tonbridge, at the junction of London Road and Shipbourne Road where the old Star and Garter pub was sited. With the help of a Kent County Council grant and Kent Highways Services the trust is enhancing the grassland. It has already recorded two different orchids and hopes that the management of the site will help increase their numbers.

Half-marathon date THE famously gruelling Tunbridge Wells Half Marathon is back for its 35th anniversary on February 18. More than 1,500 runners are expected to pound the course which passes through Southborough, Bidborough, Penshurst and Rusthall in a 13.1-mile loop. Organising club Tunbridge Wells Harriers will donate surplus funds from the £28 entry fee to local charities. To sign up, visit www.twharriers.org.uk

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Charity soapbox extravaganza comes under starter’s orders UP TO 10,000 spectators are expected at a new family fun day to be staged in Dunorlan Park in Tunbridge Wells. The highlight will be ‘a huge soapbox race’ that will help raise around £50,000 for local charities. The Crazy Jeans extravaganza will see 50 soapbox carts, each sponsored and manned by local businesses and community groups, compete in a day of races on Saturday May 5 in aid of Hospice in the Weald and ellenor. A smaller inter-schools competition for 16-18 year olds will be held on the morning of the event. Crazy Jeans will also be hosting a live music stage and food village plus children’s entertainment with inflatables, zip wire and a supercar display.

Exciting It is all the brainchild of Tunbridge Wells entrepreneur Garry Jeffery of Jean’s Kitchen and Wine Bar on St John’s Road. He explained: “We’re hoping a lot of people will turn out to see friends, foes, business associates and rivals go head to head in the race of the year. “I’ve always wanted to do a cart race in Tunbridge Wells and while we’ve got close to it before, the timing is great right now. The famous carnival that was much-loved in the town is long gone and I really wanted to bring all the businesses and

community groups together for one big, amazing event that will really bring a bit of healthy and fun competition to Tunbridge Wells. “The hospice is close to my heart after they looked after my mum Jean before she died and ellenor provides hospice care at home for babies, children and young people – previously called ChYPS – who I have been fundraising for over many years. They are both dear to my heart and

Councillor in charge of buses replaced before consultation

THE county councillor with responsibility for transport has lost his job on the eve of a consultation into a controversial bus reform. Cllr Matthew Balfour was sacked as Cabinet Member for Planning, Highways, Transport and Waste this week, with Cllr Mike Whiting taking the post.

Replaced From next Wednesday, January 17, Kent County Council (KCC) will hold a two-month consultation into plans to end 78 services, including a combined 23 in Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells.

are important charities in Kent.” Nicole Piesse Turner, of promoter Chatty Hatter, said: “This is a really exciting event for the town and I hope a lot of its big and small businesses will want to get involved, it really is an event for the whole community.” The soapbox teams will compete in time trial runs of the track, starting close to the top car park near the café and finishing by the boat hut. The day culminates in a Grand Final with the four fastest teams in both the school and main races going head to head to find the ultimate Crazy Jeans winner. The headline sponsor is car insurer Markerstudy, one of the biggest employers in Tunbridge Wells and keen supporters of local community events and charities. For more details visit www.crazyjeansevents. com or email hello@chattyhatter.com DRIVETIME The race is held in May

County Hall could achieve £4million in savings by making the changes, but last month KCC Leader Paul Carter apologised that a list of routes which could disappear was ‘prematurely released’. At that time Cllr Carter said: “Because of this I am making a personal pledge to handle the forthcoming programme of negotiations.” A statement released by KCC did not state why Cllr Balfour, who represents Malling Rural East on the authority, had been replaced. He had been in the role since February 2015 and the decision to remove him

was not made as part of a wider reshuffle. Cllr Balfour said: “It’s been a real privilege and a pleasure to work with the KCC officers responsible for our road network, planning and the environment and I wish them well for the future.” Cllr Carter said: “I would like to take this opportunity to thank Matthew for his hard work and dedication as Cabinet Member for the past three years.” Cllr Whiting of Swale Central said: “I am delighted to have been offered the opportunity to return to Cabinet and am looking forward to the chalLEAVING lenge ahead.” Cllr Matthew He had previously Balfour served in education.

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Wednesday January 10 | 2018

Uncertainty builds around centre as fashion brand is next to leave

O2 has moved to another RVP unit

Select

By William Mata will@timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk ANOTHER big name store is pulling out of Royal Victoria Place as questions remain unanswered about the future direction of the shopping centre. H&M has confirmed it is closing its kidswear store on January 21. Two years after Tunbridge Wells Borough Council [TWBC] approved £70million expansion plans for the centre, retail units have continued to close with almost one in four now empty. Among those is BHS. The expansion plans would see an eight screen multiplex cinema, restaurants and bigger shops move in. Retailers have complained of being left in the dark and have not heard any more about the proposals.

Sold

FOOTFALL: Royal Victoria Place

In November the Times reported Royal Victoria Place (RVP) was on the verge of being sold by Hermes Real Estate for £100million to British Land, one of the biggest property developers in Europe. Research published by trading group RTW Together in their September Business Intelligence Report found 76 open units and 24 vacant shops in RVP, including the sub-arcade Ely Court. But the situation has changed in the intervening months. This week Mr Simms Olde Sweet Shoppe the

Lo-Gi café

last retailer in Ely Court, closed its doors, following Hawkins Bazaar and Livvy’s. This left trading group RTW Together as the only occupant of the site. Some of the closures are related to possible expansion plans and others are because of uncertainty over those plans. RVP management has not responded to a Times request for comment on the sale, the redevelopment or the number of empty shops. A spokesman for H&M said the firm was hoping to offer men’s and women’s clothes but could not find a large enough unit. “Tunbridge Wells remains an important destination for H&M in terms of our expansion plans and we have been searching for some time to find a larger unit in the town to stock a full range of collections. “We are yet to find a suitable unit, but continue our search for the best possible location in the town.” On the possible sale TWBC Leader David Jukes has said: “If the sale goes ahead it can

The Gift Store is closing down

only be a good thing for the town. “The expansion at RVP would hopefully still happen although not necessarily as planned and might be even more imaginative.” British Land said they did not wish to comment. Rumours that GAP was also about to close its stores at RVP have been dismissed by the retailer as untrue.

Local News

Wednesday January 10 | 2018

The £70million redevelopment scheme

TWO years ago the future looked bright for Royal Victoria Place. Almost 90 per cent of public respondents to proposals for a £70million redevelopment to the

centre were supportive. Tunbridge Wells Borough Council passed plans for an eight-screen cinema, restaurants and bigger shops. Modifications were projected to

be built on the Calverley Road and Camden Road corner with Ely Court being completely redeveloped. The scheme was said to create up to 275 jobs and provide an extra £6.9million to the Tunbridge Wells economy. Since the Times first reported plans in October 2015 every retailer has closed in the Ely Court sub-arcade. Other shops, such as White Stuff, have moved location while others left on the earmarked site are unsure whether they will need to move or not. The most recent update on the RVP expansion reported by the Times was in February 2016. The council’s attention has since turned to redeveloping the former ABC site on Mount Pleasant and the Civic Complex on Calverley Grounds.

BHS closed last year

GONE: Möben Sharps Dolphin Bathrooms

Lack of news over any expansion is ‘killing us’ UNCERTAINTY surrounding Royal Victoria Place has left retailers facing hardship and fearing closure. Shops have deserted the Calverley Road corner with Camden Road after plans were passed for a £70million cinema and expansion project there. This week Graham Martin, owner of Camden Road’s Victoria Snooker Centre, told the Times the situation has consequences for his family. “I am not 100 per cent certain it is going to happen and I have that hope but the uncertainty is killing us,” he said. “You can’t run a business on uncertainty and I am not sure if I should arrange events for later

this year or not as I can’t plan more than six months in advance.” Mr Martin said ‘Tunbridge Wells would not have a snooker club,’ if the Victoria Centre was to close. His tables weighing several tonnes would be problematic to move and the owner said he was unlikely to find another suitable venue. With members of his family living in the same building as the club, having to leave would be life changing. He added: “British Land is rumoured to be launching a takeover, but I don’t know if or how that would affect things. “We are not a massive firm and we cannot easily move somewhere else. We are a family run business and it will affect us.” ON CUE Graham Martin (right), owner, with son Liam Martin

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Local News TICKET INSPECTION MP Nus Ghani

Wednesday January 10 | 2018

Highways face scrutiny over how they spend share of pothole kitty By William Mata will@timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk

MP calls on rail firm to stop misery COMMUTERS using Eridge and Crowborough railway stations are suffering a ‘poor service’, according to Wealden MP Nus Ghani. She raised concerns about the performance of the Southern franchise on the London to Uckfield line with rail minister Paul Maynard. Ms Ghani said: “The Uckfield line suffers from frequent cancellations, often multiple trains in a row, with little or no useful explanation. “The lack of alternative transport causes untold problems for many Wealden commuters who are paying for a service which isn’t delivered by Southern. “My constituents deserve better, but there has been no sign of improvement within recent months.”

Fares The MP spoke out after season ticket fares were hiked by an average of 3.4 per cent on all lines from the start of the year. “I will continue to push hard to ensure that Southern provide a service fit for the needs of Wealden,” she added. “Starting 2018 with a poor service and impending strike action once again explains why the Uckfield line is often branded the misery line.” Mr Maynard has confirmed he will meet with chiefs from Govia Thameslink Railway, who own Southern, and has invited Ms Ghani to attend. The line also serves Buxted, Ashurst and Hever. Last year, around 400,000 people used Crowborough station and 120,000 used Eridge.

KENT HIGHWAYS’ battle to treat a £500million backlog of potholes will be boosted by a share of a £50million Department for Transport grant. Opposition councillors have committed to scrutinise Kent County Council [KCC] over how efficiently they choose to spend their portion, thought to be around £920,000. There are currently 565 reported potholes in the county, including 54 in Tonbridge and 53 in Tunbridge Wells, and KCC will find out how much they are likely to have been awarded from the grant later this month.

Fanfare However, Liberal Democrat Councillor Trudy Dean, the only opposition member on the authority for either Tunbridge Wells or Tonbridge & Malling boroughs, considers the grant ‘a drop in the ocean’. The Malling Central representative committed to scrutinising how the money is spent. She said: “It is not sensible government spending since it’s just turning a tap on and off without advance warning or sensible annual flow of adequate funding. “KCC has a backlog of some £400million of road

repairs as a result of spending at too low levels to maintain the roads properly over many decades.” KCC said the figure was actually in excess of £500million. In October, the authority spent £5.2million on repairing poor road surfaces in a ‘pothole blitz’. They operate a scheme where all potholes reported on their website are treated within 28 days, or two hours if it is considered an emergency. The County Councillor for Hythe West, Martin Whybrow, the authority’s only Green Party member, raised a concern that the amount County Hall received was a fraction of the cuts they faced. Pothole He said: “Local peril government budgets are cut and cut, but then, with big fanfare, central government drip-feed back small amounts. “If local government was properly funded in the first place then proper maintenance of the road network would be possible, including enhancing

BUMPY RIDE: Kent’s road repairs budget the infrastructure to make it safer for cyclists, which would then reduce the need for constant patching.” A KCC spokesman said: “We have not yet been informed about how much extra money will be allocated to Kent for fixing potholes. “We understand the Department for Transport will inform councils of the distributions of funds sometime in January. “However, any additional funding will obviously be welcome.”

Fears loss of Post Office will hurt poorer residents in ward THE Post Office in Sherwood will be lost next week, fuelling concerns that poorer residents will lose out. Alongside postal services, the corner shop in Greggs Wood Road will also be stripped of machines allowing gas and electricity meters to be topped up. This is because shop owner Dee Patel has resigned as Postmaster, a position in which he looked after services in a franchise agreement. Until another shop agrees to host the facility, or an alternative venue can be found, the nearest branches are in High Brooms and Tunbridge Wells town centre. Tunbridge Wells Borough Councillor for Sherwood

Bob Backhouse said less affluent residents may be forced to spend £5 on travel to another Post Office only to top up their pay-as-you-go amenity by £5.

Terminals “Losing the gas and electricity pay station terminals will disadvantage people on benefits and low income who are not in a position to pay by direct debit,” said the councillor. “Mr Patel has been going for more than 30 years and people rely on the shop. There is nothing else [equivalent to it in the ward].

LAST POST: Greggs Wood Road Post Office Mr Patel was contractually unable to comment, other than to confirm services would stop on Tuesday [January 16] from 1pm. A spokesman from The Post Office said they are ‘doing all they can’ to restore services in Sherwood, and that anyone interested in running a Post Office should call 0845 601 6260.

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Local Business News

Wednesday January 10 | 2018

Remodelled station open again after £160million upgrade work LONDON BRIDGE mainline station has reopened after an extra ten days of major engineering work that severely disrupted travel over Christmas. Overall, five new platforms have been added to the railway station as part of the £160million Thameslink Programme, after work began in 2009. For the first time, all 15 platforms have been united by a single concourse with two new entrances built on Tooley Street – which unites the north and south side. Work is expected to continue on the concourse until spring, and throughout 2018 new shops, cafes and leisure facilities will open.

Landmark Mark Carne, Chief Executive of Network Rail, said: “The opening of our landmark station is a shining example of the investment we are making in the railway. “I would like to thank passengers for their patience while we transformed London Bridge into the modern transport hub it is today, with more trains to more destinations, connecting north-south London and beyond.” Work began in 2013 on the second phase of the ambitious project – to modernise London Bridge, which is London’s oldest station and serves more than 50 million people every year, . Six trains an hour from Tonbridge and four an hour from Tunbridge Wells will stop there. The changes also mean Cannon Street station services will resume stopping at London Bridge, while a new platform has been added at Redhill. For the week between Christmas and New Year,

London Bridge was almost inaccessible for commuters, with two-and-a-half-hour journeys experienced by some. London Waterloo and Victoria were primarily used as replacement stops throughout the period. David Statham, Managing Director of Southeastern Railway, said: “This marks a major milestone in the transformation of London Bridge and rail

transport across London. “I’d like to thank our passengers for bearing with us throughout the past few years while the engineering works have been underway. “As a result, they will see new routes and more reliable Southeastern services, including new destinations, connecting communities between London and across Kent.” SHAPING UP London Bridge station has reopened

NEWS IN BRIEF

Incoming supermarket records its best sales A SUPERMARKET chain with plans to expand into West Kent will raise wages after record UK Christmas sales. German retailer Aldi reported a growth rise in December of 15 per cent higher than the previous year, with total annual sales hitting the £10billion mark for the first time. The budget chain will open a branch in Tonbridge in the spring. Aldi announced plans last week to raise their minimum wage by 32p to £8.85 per hour.

Breakfast to network POPULAR business breakfast event Muesli Mafia returns this month after Christmas. The Kent networking series meets from 7.30am with a meal and talk from a guest speaker. The Mercure Hotel in Pembury will host the first breakfast of the year on Friday, January 26. To find out more, click on the events tab at www.kentinvicta chamber.co.uk

County awards entries APPLICATIONS for one of Kent’s premier business award events are open until Friday, January 26. Kent Invicta Chamber of Commerce is inviting firms to enter up to two of the seven award categories. Winners will be announced at The Chamber Business Awards on March 22, which will be hosted at Canterbury Cathedral Lodge. To find out more, visit www.kentinvictachamber.co.uk

Local Business News

Wednesday January 10 | 2018

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Businesses told there is life beyond Brexit for new trade By William Mata will@timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk

TAKING STOCK Co-op is looking to expand

Co-op announces 100 more food stores to open in 2018 EXPANDING supermarket Co-op has invited members to suggest where future stores could open. The firm last week confirmed plans to open 100 food outlets across the UK this year as part of a £160million scheme that will also see 150 existing shops refurbished. No plans have been announced to see the number of Co-ops in Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells [currently four combined] added to. The nearest shop set for a major makeover is in Battle, while 20 of the 100 new stores are set to be located in London. But West Kent has not been ruled out of future expansion plans, with the company’s members encouraged

to put forward addresses where a store could be located. The chain operates with members paying a £1 joining fee to receive store discounts, a small share of profits and the chance to shape how the company is run. In a new initiative, the Co-op has asked members to suggest a site where a food store could be built. If their suggestion is chosen, the recommender would receive £500 in vouchers. Jo Whitfield, Chief Executive of Co-op Food, said: “Co-op is positively responding to the changes occurring within this sector.” To find out more, visit: www. coop.co.uk/forms/suggest-a-site

WEST KENT companies are increasingly looking to sell to markets beyond the European Union, according to a foreign trade expert. Department for International Trade [DIT] data has shown a 20 per cent rise in local firms exporting since 2015, and more are predicted to follow. Ben Raby, Regional Director for the DIT South East Trade Team, spoke after his department passed on advice to companies in Tunbridge Wells last month at a business breakfast event at One Warwick Park Hotel.

Succeed He said the department, formed shortly after the EU Referendum in 2016, was able to provide services to help companies succeed internationally beyond Brexit. “Regionally and nationally, there has been a significant lift in the value of exports from the UK, with companies taking advantage of favourable exchange rates,” he said. “Ambitious businesses are now looking to grow and diversify their markets and clients in countries outside the EU. “The USA continues to be the UK’s single largest export market, but we are

seeing business looking to sell their products and services into less familiar territories in Asia, the Middle East and Latin America.” Around 50 attendees from local firms heard other speakers at the breakfast event share their experiences of trading overseas. These included: Jonathan Hancox from Brookes IP, Olivier Morel from Cripps, Paul Hodge from RSM Group and Chris

Lloyd from What on Earth? publishing. Apologies were received from Tunbridge Wells MP Greg Clark, who was also due to be speaking. Mr Raby added: “We were really pleased with the response we had following the event. “Many current and new clients are looking to take advantage of the free of charge, impartial and expert support from our team of locally-based export specialists.” THINKING BIG Exporting globally was the topic of the meeting

Local News

Wednesday January 10 | 2018

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shop closure sees Lottery stays on track handing out Bike mechanic start fresh cash to our hard-pressed charities cycle repair business…

WINNING SUPPORT: Sherwood Men’s Shed and The Big Cat Sanctuary are lotto beneficiaries

By William Mata will@timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk TUNBRIDGE WELLS LOTTO is set to raise £33,000 for charities and community groups in its first year, with more than 1,000 tickets now being bought every week. By registering for the scheme, which is now five months old, residents have the chance to win cash prizes of up to £25,000 in the weekly draws. Players can buy tickets for the lottery at a cost of £1 a week each, 50p of which will go to a local community group selected by the purchaser. Tunbridge Wells Borough Council’s portfolio holder for economic development, Councillor Jane March, said 59 organisations have signed up to be beneficiaries, and that £3,270 has been won so far in prize money.

“It is still early days, but we are proud of the start we have made,” she said. “We are confident it will be a great success.” Cash prizes are based on how close a contestant’s numbers match those drawn every Saturday evening.

Support According to their latest figures, the council has raised £10,532 of income for community PROUD groups through Tunbridge Wells the Lotto after tax Cllr Jane March deductions.

Organisations bid to be included as a good cause for lottery contestants to support. Not all groups need to operate in Tunbridge Wells, but would need to demonstrate how they could benefit the town through extra funding. James Hanaway, of The Big Cat Sanctuary at Smarden, near Ashford, said the centre’s involvement with schools in Tunbridge Wells allowed them to be selected. His organisation is set to receive slightly more than £1,000 over the year, which is paid in monthly instalments. Jane Haselden, of East Malling-based Kent Search and Rescue, hopes the lottery will help the charity to continue to assist the emergency services in locating vulnerable missing people. Her group has been handed more than £500, with 61 supporters buying lottery tickets. “It is a big amount of money we are getting from Lotto, and it’s easier than standing outside with a bucket,” she said. Tim Tempest, Chairman of Sherwood Men’s Shed, hopes to raise awareness of the fact the scheme provides a space for the community to complete DIY projects. “We signed up and will now start to put leaflets through people’s doors to say how buying Lotto tickets can help us,” he said. “With the money, we can invest in tools for the shed and pay for our insurance premium. Signing up was a no-brainer.” To buy tickets for the lottery, visit www.twlotto.co.uk

LESS than two weeks after his old workplace The Velo House closed, a bike mechanic has started a new venture in Tunbridge Wells. Mike Cook told the Times that his project would focus purely on the repair and maintenance side, which he provided in the former St John’s Road cycling café. The Velo House closed for the last time after four years on December 23, with owner Oliver Stephens struggling to balance the books. Mr Cook opened his new business, The Velo Works, on January 2.

Online Based on Powdermill Lane, the project is a stripped-back operation but offering the same friendly approach as in the popular café. “It’s essentially a small workshop, but it has got a bit of character and a coffee machine,” he said. “I’m repairing and modifying high-end road bikes, and I want to make it clear that I want to make the service convenient. “Customers have jobs during the day and I can work outside office hours.” According to Mr Cook, one of the problems facing the bike shop industry is that customers can order parts online cheaper than buying them in stores. To get around this, the mechanic is offering a service where customers can order the part they need and have it delivered to The Velo Works for fitting. He continued: “I was saddened that The Velo House closed. It was a great concept, but it is a tough environment they are in.”

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Community News

Wednesday January 10 | 2018

Compaid expands its fleet with help from new enterprise fund By Andy Tong COMPAID in Paddock Wood has become one of the first charities to benefit from a grant from the new Kent Social Enterprise Loan Fund [KSELF]. The fund is designed to bridge the growing funding gap for social enterprises by offering unsecured loans of between £10,000 and £100,000. Compaid has been providing transport services to the disabled, elderly and other vulnerable clients across West Kent for 30 years, and currently supports more than 1,800 people. It received a £32,000 loan with a £3,000 grant to buy a specially adapted minibus which will join its existing fleet of 14 vehicles. The funding is delivered by the Kent Community Foundation in partnership with Access: The Foundation for Social Investment, the Big Lottery Fund and Big Society Capital. For many disabled and older people in rural areas, a lack of transport services leads to exclusion from local amenities and community life. Many villages have seen a significant withdrawal in public bus services, so Compaid’s adapted vehicles are becoming increasingly vital. Staff and around 40 volunteers take clients to hospitals and doctor’s surgeries as well as shopping and leisure activities such as theatre visits. In 2016-17, the wheelchair-adapted vehicles made 35,000 journeys, covering almost 350,000 miles. “As a small charity, our funds are used to deliver our services to disabled and older people across Kent,” said Chief Executive Stephen Elsden. “This means we have limited reserves for major

PICK-ME-UP Compaid’s new minibus in action; the charity’s transport benefits more than 1,800 people

BARROW BOYS: Benefactor James Fegan (centre) started helping street children in London in 1870

Story of Fegans’ 147 years is celebrated in special exhibition expenditure, such as replacing one of our wheelchair accessible minibuses. “The fund gave us access to capital to buy a new vehicle, with fixed cost repayments that we are able to make over a number of years. “The minibus is now helping hundreds of vulnerable people each month to overcome loneliness and isolation.” The charity’s Social Impact Report of 12 months ago found that 73 per cent of their service users agreed their loneliness and isolation had

decreased, with 78 per cent reporting an increase in independence, while 58 per cent had grown in confidence and 51 per cent saved money through shopping locally and independently. Compaid features on the Community Chest of the new Tunbridge Wells version of Monopoly. If you are a social enterprise interested in applying for a loan, call James Horne, Kent Community Foundation’s Investment Fund Manager, on 01303 814 500, or visit www.kentcf.org.uk/apply/apply-for-a-loan

THE local children’s charity Fegans will feature in an exhibition describing its history at Tunbridge Wells Museum & Art Gallery next month. Seasons of Change: The Fegans Story will be on display from February 9 to June 9. The Tunbridge Wells-based charity, which was set up in 1870, provides more than 400 children and their families with counselling, therapeutic support, intervention and training. The exhibition will describe the work of its founder, James Fegan, and the support services the charity offers across the South East.

Community News

Wednesday January 10 | 2018

It’s behind you: Porritt clan set the scene for Hadlow’s panto THE Hadlow Amateur Dramatic Society [HADS] will be performing their pantomime Cinderella in three shows in the village hall this week. The production is dominated by the Porritt family. Chris Porritt plays Buttons, while his daughters Kayleigh and Faith play bailiffs Kevin and Rodney. The Porritts added decorating to their repertoire of talents and have been painting the scenery over most weekends since September, along with mother Lisa and younger children Luke and Keira. The shows are on Friday January 12 at 8pm and Saturday January 13 at 3pm and 7.30pm. Tickets cost £8.50 for adults and £6 for children, with OAP concessions £6 on Friday, and are on sale in Hadlow Pharmacy and The Village Butchers and Store, East Peckham.

BRUSH WITH FAME: (L-R) Kayleigh, Chris and Faith Porritt paint the scenery in Hadlow Village Hall

YOU SHALL GO TO THE BALL: The cast of Cinderella, (L-R) Chloe Sunnucks as the Fairy Godmother, Chris Porritt as Buttons, John Sansom as Esmeralda, Faith Porritt as Rodney, Keira Jones as Cinderella, Kayleigh Porritt as Kevin, Bob Brown as Ermyntrude, Charlotte Campbell as Dandini and Tony Shoebridge as Baron Stoneybroke

Lions’ barrel organ collection ends on happy note for needy TONBRIDGE LIONS CLUB’s annual barrel organ collection managed to raise £2,896 in the fortnight before Christmas to help the needy in the town. The nostalgic music-maker was sited at the Farmers’ Market, outside supermarkets and in Tonbridge High Street. The Mayor of Tonbridge & Malling, Councillor Roger Dalton, and local MP Tom Tugendhat visited the Lions’ collectors in the High Street. Lions’ President Gordon Hill said of the collection, which started in 1952: “We are delighted with the response this year and send our thanks to the generous people of the town.”

ON SONG: Lions President Gordon Hill (right) and Mayor Roger Dalton collect donations from Hayden and Amelia Cooper

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County News

Wednesday January 10 | 2018

Busiest holiday admissions at hospital emergency rooms… By William Mata

will@timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk

Council staff trained to back appeal for drinkers to go dry for month DRY JANUARY, a month-long campaign encouraging drinkers to stay sober, is being supported by Kent County Council [KCC]. The authority has provided special training to staff to help those who may have an alcohol dependency to take the 31-day challenge. Council officers, probation officers, job centre staff, careers advisors and social workers have all been trained by County Hall to offer support and promote services available. KCC estimate 327,000 people in the county are drinking at levels considered dangerous, with knock-on effects costing the local NHS an estimated £108million. Andrew Scott-Clark, County Hall Director for Public Health, said: “Many people do not realise, or are underestimating, how much they drink and the impact it has. “Training like this is another excellent way of helping people to identify how much alcohol is affecting them, and to find potentially life-saving support before it is too late.” For more information and support material, visit www.kent.gov.uk/social-care-and-health

MORE than 350 people attended A&E in Tunbridge Wells and Maidstone hospitals on their busiest Christmas Day on record. Staff at the NHS Trust were thanked for their work over the festive period, which saw record levels of activity within the emergency departments. Jim Lusby, Acting Chief Executive of the Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust [MTW], said: “Demand for our services has continued to remain very high over the past week. PRESSURE The Emergency Department at Tunbridge Wells Hospital in Pembury

“I’d like to encourage people over the coming days to use our emergency departments wisely and to make sure they’re seeking the right NHS service appropriate for their healthcare needs.”

Impressed The Trust reported prior to Christmas that they were braced for a busy period of up to 400 patients coming through the doors every day. A spokesman said residents should seek to avoid A&E if possible and that it should only be used in ‘genuine emergencies’. Miles Scott assumed control as

the new Chief Executive of both hospitals on Monday [January 8] after Glenn Douglas stood down in the autumn. With the Trust currently classified by the Care Quality Commission [CQC] as ‘Requires Improvement’, he will be looking to make changes. Mr Scott said: “I am delighted to have been appointed Chief Executive at MTW. “I have been very impressed by the staff I have met and look forward to working together to deliver outstanding patient and staff experience.” A new CQC report is expected to be published this year.

NEWS IN BRIEF

Missing man, 80, found dead after long search THE body of an 80-year-old man missing from a Sevenoaks home has been found, seven months after his disappearance. Kent Police orchestrated a large search operation to find Ken Henson after he was reported missing on May 25 last year. His body was found by a worker on the bank near Sevenoaks railway station on December 26 at around 11.25am. His death is not being treated as suspicious.

School complaints win AN ACADEMY school trust has backed down on a controversial admissions policy for Invicta Grammar in Maidstone. Valley Invicta Trust also controls five primary schools in the area, and was considering allowing leavers to have first pick of places at the secondary from September 2019. Parents living near the grammar raised complaints during the school’s consultation, starting a petition which has now been signed 900 times. The Trust has now decided against the plans.

Teenager train tragedy A TEENAGER died after being struck by a train in Hildenborough, police have confirmed. The unnamed 19 year old, who lived in the village, died in the incident on Friday, December 29 shortly after midnight. British Transport Police are not treating the death as suspicious. The force has informed the next of kin and will prepare a file for the coroner.

County News

Wednesday January 10 | 2018

County grammars still expanding 20 years after government policy NEARLY 8,000 more grammar school places have been created nationally since 2010, with Kent secondaries playing a leading role in the rise. Since 1998, education law has prevented any more of the controversial institutions, which operate a selective intake, from being built. However, according to figures released last week by the BBC, there are now 118,200 grammar

school places offered across the nation. This compares to 110,600 places in 2010, and by 2020-21 the number could rise by a further 6,900 if the level of intake stays the same. Seven Kent secondaries feature in a top 20 list showing the percentage growth of all UK grammar schools. Some, such as The Judd School in Tonbridge, The Skinners’ School in Tunbridge Wells

and Tonbridge Grammar School, have expanded on-site to offer more places. Weald of Kent Grammar School also made the top 20 list for growth, having opened a £19million annexe in Sevenoaks, ten miles from its main Tonbridge site. This first of its kind extension has created room for an extra 450 pupils, but is not officially considered a new school.

‘Seven Kent secondaries feature in a top 20 list showing the percentage growth of all UK grammar schools’

GROWING GRAMMAR Weald of Kent’s Sevenoaks annexe opened in September

When the annexe opened on September 8, it was announced that the initial intake of 120 Year 7 students would be bussed back to Tonbridge for one full day every fortnight to attend lessons. Prime Minister Theresa May had hoped to revive grammar schools, but was forced to abandon the plan after the General Election result in June left her Conservative Party without a majority. Because the annexe is not deemed to be a new school, it was approved by the then Secretary of State for Education, Nicky Morgan, in October 2015. She said at the time: “There aren’t going to be any more grammar schools under me. I am resistant to selective education. “But if they want to expand, we certainly won’t stand in their way.”

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Royal Family member to reopen station THE QUEEN has been tipped to visit West Kent in the autumn to reopen the modified Bat & Ball railway station. Sevenoaks Town Council has already secured a grant to make £750,000 worth of modifications to improve the facility, with works set to be completed before October. Bat & Ball continues to serve the Sevenoaks to Otford line, which runs to London, but the ticket hall has been boarded up since 1991. The council plan to unveil new public toilets, community rooms and a café alongside the platforms, and the authority has stated its intention for a ‘Royal visitor’ to unveil plaques to celebrate the improvements. While the royal’s identity has yet to be announced, speculation is growing online that The Queen could be making her first appearance in the town. When Queen Victoria visited Sevenoaks in 1867, she travelled into Bat & Ball. This was one year after Prince Albert, then Prince of Wales, also came to the town. The council hopes their royal guest will unveil three plaques at the station, marking all of the family’s visits. SEE YOU SOON? Sevenoaks Town Council has not yet stated which royal will visit

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National News

Wednesday January 10 | 2018

Blockbusters surprise as they are shortlisted for best director prize DUNKIRK and Blade Runner 2049 were the biggest surprises in the Bafta’s best director shortlist. The IMAX blockbusters, directed by Christopher Nolan and Denis Villeneuve respectively, were handed eight nominations including for best director. Guillermo Del Toro’s sci-fi romance The Shape Of Water led the list with 12, including best film, director and actress for Sally Hawkins. The film dominated the shortlists at the Golden Globes, but was beaten to best picture by Martin McDonagh’s Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. That picked up nine Bafta nominations, including best film, director, outstanding British film, original screenplay and best actress for Frances McDormand. Joe Wright’s The Darkest Hour was also in the running for best film and best actor for Gary Oldman. Greta Gerwig was ignored for her debut movie Lady Bird, leaving the director category male-

SIGN OF THE TIMES Frances McDormand in Three Billboards dominated, as had happened at the Golden Globes on Sunday – though it was put forward for best original screenplay. The Bafta ceremony will take place at the Royal Albert Hall on Sunday February 18. It will be hosted by Joanna Lumley, replacing Stephen Fry who stepped down last week.

Fracking company allowed to look for oil in Sussex village ENERGY company Cuadrilla has been granted permission to explore for oil at a site near Haywards Heath that prompted fierce anti-fracking protests several years ago. West Sussex County Council’s planning committee voted to grant temporary permission for flow testing and monitoring of an existing well at the Lower Stumble site in Balcombe. The site was the focus of high-profile anti-fracking protests in 2013, which saw the arrest of Brighton Pavilion Green MP Caroline Lucas. Cuadrilla said the scheme required no fracking, or hydraulic fracturing, because the rock was naturally fractured, and the testing would measure

the rate at which oil flows from the well. But campaigners reacted angrily to the news that planning permission for the work at the site in the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty had been granted.

Devastating Friends of the Earth South East regional campaigner Brenda Pollack said: “This is devastating news for villagers and everyone who wants a clean and safe environment to live in. “Where is the democracy when over 2,700 people objected to Cuadrilla returning to this beautiful rural part of Sussex?” In a statement, the company

said: “We are delighted that West Sussex County Council’s planning committee has unanimously approved our planning application to flow test and monitor the existing exploration well at our site at Lower Stumble, Balcombe. “This covers the same scope of work as the previous planning permission granted in 2014.” The permission only runs until 2021 and work has to be completed within two years of starting, including plugging the well with cement and fully restoring the site. Cuadrilla stated: “We will establish a local community liaison group and consult with residents, at the appropriate time, before work commences.”

Young apologises for comments after quitting post as regulator TOBY YOUNG has apologised ‘unreservedly’ for a string of controversial comments he made on social media in recent years. The journalist turned educationalist has stood down from the newly created post of universities regulator saying his appointment has ‘become a distraction’. His announcement comes after ministers were forced to defend his appointment in the Commons on Monday following backlash from MPs, including prominent Tories. RESIGNED In The Spectator Mr Young Toby Young wrote: “I am a passionate

supporter of inclusion and helping the most disadvantaged, as I hope my track record of setting up and supporting new schools demonstrates. “But some of the things I said before I got involved in education, when I was a journalistic provocateur, were either ill-judged or just plain wrong – and I unreservedly apologise.” A petition calling for Mr Young to be sacked from the board of the Office for Students has gathered 219,000 signatures. Theresa May said she had been unaware of his history of crude and sexist comments.

National News

Wednesday January 10 | 2018

Nettles and ants Tory MP criticises reshuffle may stop spread for ‘hoofing out’ white men of cancer cells CANCER cells can be targeted and destroyed more effectively using a substance found in stinging nettles and ants, research has found. The new treatment, named JPC11, can be recycled and reused within affected cells to attack them repeatedly, according to a study by the University of Warwick. It is hoped the approach could lessen the side effects of chemotherapy and overcome increasing resistance to existing drugs. Researchers are focusing on the potential uses of JPC11 in treating ovarian and prostate cancers.

Significant Dr James Coverdale, research fellow from the University of Warwick, said: “This is a significant step in the fight against cancer.” JPC11 is activated with a dose of sodium ­formate, a natural substance found in organisms including stinging nettles and ants, and targets the metabolic process which causes cancer cells to multiply. The compound converts the energy cancer cells need to divide rapidly into an unnatural lactate which leads to their destruction. The reusable characteristics of the treatment could lead to anti-cancer drugs being ­administered in smaller but more effective doses in the future, and decrease the side effects of chemotherapy. The study also found that JPC11 left healthy cells ‘largely untouched’ while it was attacking c­ ancerous ones.

A TORY backbencher has criticised Theresa May’s cabinet reshuffle because it gives the impression that she is ‘hoofing out’ white males. The Prime Minister sacked several middle-ranking ministers in the second day of her shake-up. Despite widespread criticism of the shake-up, newly appointed Tory Chairman Brandon Lewis insisted the party is ‘not quite’ in a mess but admitted there was a ‘job of work’ to be done.

Concern Philip Davies, who sits on the Commons Women and Equalities Committee, said the reshuffle had created ‘a legitimate concern that some people may feel they have been hoofed out or not promoted simply because they are a white male’. Mrs May’s spokesman said that was ‘absolutely not’ the case, adding: “This is about the Prime Minister putting in place the right team to tackle the challenges the country faces, whether that is on housing, improving school standards or the NHS.”

Mrs May’s Cabinet met for the first time since Justine Greening walked out as Education Secretary rather than accept a move to work and pensions, while Jeremy Hunt turned down the PM’s offer of the business brief, insisting instead on an expanded health and social care role. Following Mr Hunt’s reported refusal to move from health to business, the spokesman described him as ‘a long-serving and hard-working Health Secretary who has helped deliver an NHS which has been rated the best in the world’, adding: “He has been doing a good job and will continue to do so.” The spokesman confirmed that the review of social care started under the Cabinet Office was being moved in its entirety to Mr Hunt’s renamed department, but said that funding would remain a responsibility for local authorities. On Ms Greening’s resignation, the spokesman said: “She has displayed a clear commitment and passion for equality and social mobility and improving the opportunities available to children across the country.”

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NEWS IN BRIEF

Virgin Trains attacked for not selling Mail THE Daily Mail has accused Virgin Trains of censorship after the company stopped stocking the newspaper and called it ‘not at all compatible’ with its brand and beliefs. The train operator said it made the decision in November, pointing out in a note to staff that ‘considerable concern’ had been raised by colleagues about the paper’s editorial position on issues such as immigration, LGBT rights and unemployment.

Byron plans 20 closures HUNREDS of jobs are under threat at Byron after the stricken burger chain put 20 restaurants at risk of closure as part of a proposed restructuring package. The burger chain is looking to agree a company voluntary arrangement (CVA) to help put it on firmer financial ground by securing hefty discounts on rental costs.

‘Text neck’ is not serious

BLOND AMBITION: Caroline Dinenage (left) joins the Department of Health and Social Care while Margot James is the new Culture Minister

PHYSIOTHERAPISTS have said there is no such thing as ‘text neck’, caused by people craning over their phones. The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP) said the use of phones is likely to be ‘incidental’ to the development of neck pain. CSP spokesman Ash James said the way people look at phones is no different to reading a book ‘which we have done for centuries with few alarms’. “I doubt the ancient Greeks suffered from scroll neck,” he added.

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BUSINESS

National Business News

Wednesday January 10 | 2018

Morrisons is supermarket winner over Christmas SUPERMARKET Morrisons has thanked surging sales of its premium range and efforts to keep a lid on prices for better-than-expected Christmas trading. The Bradford-based chain said group like-forlike sales excluding fuel jumped 2.8 per cent in the 10 weeks to January 7, with retail sales up 2.1 per cent and wholesale 0.7 per cent ahead. It said it enjoyed an “especially strong” festive season as sales picked up pace in the last seven weeks - up 3.7 per cent across the group after a 2.8 per cent jump in retail and 0.9 per cent wholesale rise. The group cheered a 25 per cent year-on-year leap in sales of its Best premium range, while it also saw solid sales of its Nutmeg range of children’s clothing and a good response to its recently overhauled non-food offering. The UK’s fourth biggest supermarket kicked off the festive trading updates with a stronger-than-forecast set of numbers, after analysts

Rail chiefs questioned over poor performance

had pencilled in a 1.7 per cent rise in group sales for the 10 weeks. Shares lifted as much as 4 per cent before paring back to stand 2 per cent higher after its trading update, with gains for retail rivals Sainsbury’s and Marks & Spencer, up 2 per cent and 3 per cent respectively.

Inflation Morrisons said it kept the price of a basket of key Christmas items the same as last year, resisting price hikes for squeezed consumers in the face of surging costs. Shopper spending power has been hit hard by Brexit-fuelled inflation, which has outstripped paltry wage growth throughout most of 2017. Wider food price inflation rose around 3 per cent at the end of the year, although Morrisons said this was set to pass through in 2018 with the prices of some produce, such as seafood, already

M&S outsources 250 jobs RETAIL giant Marks & Spencer is outsourcing more than half of its 430-strong IT team in a move that will cut costs by around £30 million a year. The group said around 250 roles will transfer to Indian giant Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), although they will remain based at the firm’s IT headquarters at Stockley Park in Middlesex.

BUSINESS NEWS IN BRIEF

The firm will consult with 30 of those transferring over their roles, which are set to change following the move, either due to location or function. It said these staff may choose to leave the business, but stressed it was not launching a redundancy or voluntary redundancy programme. The group will retain a small in-house IT team of around 170 people following the overhaul, which

coming down. Online sales at Morrisons.com grew by more than 10 per cent, with the group delivering to more areas of the UK through its partnership with Ocado. Its update came as Kantar Worldpanel figures showed the group’s share of the supermarket sector slipped to 10.7 per cent over the Christmas quarter from 10.9 per cent a year earlier despite rising sales, with the Big Four chains continuing to come under pressure from German rivals Aldi and Lidl. Rival Tesco, which reports figures tomorrow [January 11], led the major players with a 3.1 per cent surge in sales over the 12 weeks to the end of December, according to Kantar. is set to take place from March 1. It comes as part of a five-year turnaround plan being led by Chief Executive Steve Rowe, which is already seeing a raft of shops shut and a withdrawal from international markets.

Transformation Mr Rowe said: “Technology plays a huge role in this transformation - and having the right partners and model will enable us to be more agile, flexible and responsive.”

OFFICIALS from two rail companies have been called to a special meeting by the industry’s independent watchdog to explain recent poor performance. Bosses from South Western Railway (SWR) and Network Rail (NR) will be questioned by Transport Focus at a meeting in London following delays and disruption to services to and from Waterloo since an £800 million upgrade at the station last August. The watchdog said the move followed months of declining punctuality and major disruption across the South Western Railway network.

NEC buys software firm JAPANESE tech giant NEC has struck a £475 million deal to buy UK software firm Northgate Public Services (NPS), which holds key contracts with the police and the NHS. NEC said it will use the deal to push into the UK and Australian markets, while putting NPS through an international expansion drive across North America and Asia. The move calls time on Cinven’s three-year ownership of NPS, but the private equity house will continue to hold a seat on the board.

Job numbers grow A RECORD number of jobs were advertised in the first week of the year, according to a new study. Totaljobs said 54,000 vacancies were posted on its site between January 1 and 7, around 9,000 more than the same period last year.

World News

Wednesday January 10 | 2018

Midnight weddings end ‘horrible time’ for gay couples in Australia SAME-SEX couples married in midnight ceremonies across Australia yesterday [Tuesday] after the country’s last legal impediment to gay marriage expired. Marriage equality became law on December 9 with overwhelming support in Parliament, but Australia requires that all couples give a month’s notice for weddings. Athletes Craig Burns and Luke Sullivan married at a midnight ceremony near the east coast city of Tweed Heads. “It’s another way to show your love and appreciation of your partner in front of the people in your life,” said Burns, a 29-year-old sprinter who will compete in the Commonwealth Games in Australia’s Gold Coast in April. In Newcastle, north of Sydney, Rebecca Hickson, 32, married her partner of nine years, Sarah Turnbull, 34.

Dreams Hickson described the divisive build-up to a gay marriage ballot preceding Parliament’s vote as “a horrible time”. She said the couple wanted to be part of history by becoming one of the first same-sex couples to marry in Australia. In the west coast city of Perth, Kelly and Sam Pilgrim-Byrne solemnised their 24-year-old relationship in a midnight ceremony on the steps of the Western Australia state legislature. “It was never anything we considered because it was never anything that was available to us, so we never had those dreams about what would our wedding look like, what would we do, who would we invite, where would it be - we never, ever

JUST MARRIED Lainey Carmichael and Roz Kitschke

considered it because we never thought that it would happen in our life time,” Kelly Pilgrim-Byrne told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. Lainey Carmichael, 51, and Roz Kitschke, 46, married shortly after dawn before 65 guests at their home in the town of Franklin in the island state of Tasmania. The early ceremony was mainly to avoid the summer heat, Kitschke said. “New day; new era - and we don’t like the heat that much,” she said. The Australian Parliament overwhelmingly voted for same-sex marriage after a nationwide postal survey found that 62 percent of respondents wanted marriage equality.

Mass arrests as police swoop on mafia suspects ANTI-MAFIA police have seized 50 million euros (£44 million) in assets and detained more than 160 people in Italy and Germany, accusing them of running a huge mob-controlled empire.

Accused The organisation involved everything from bread and wine sales to funeral services, migrant housing and waste recycling, investigators said. Prosecutors in southern Italy said the ‘ndranghe-

ta’s Farao-Marincola clan had its hand in just about every financial enterprise in the Calabrian town of Ciro, and it extended to cities throughout Italy and parts of Germany. Specifically, prosecutors accused the bosses of driving out all the bakery competition in Ciro so residents and restaurants were forced to buy their bread from the one mob-controlled bakers. Italian restaurants in Germany were apparently forced to import Italian wine and other goods from a clan-controlled Italian association.

SPORT IN BRIEF

Bayliss to stand down

UK Sport sets challenge

ENGLAND coach Trevor Bayliss will walk away at the end of his contract in 2019 but has vowed to begin the job of building a team ready to win in Australia. Bayliss insisted the 4-0 Ashes defeat, which was confirmed with this week’s crushing loss in Sydney, had no bearing on a decision that had long been made and it had never been his intention to stay longer. Having started his tenure by winning the urn in England in 2015, he will sign off next September after another home Ashes contest.

GREAT BRITAIN has been tasked with claiming its biggest medal haul in Winter Olympics history after UK Sport announced its targets for Pyeongchang 2018 yesterday [January 9]. UK Sport, the funding agency which distributes money to elite Olympic and Paralympic sport, has challenged Britain to win four to 10 medals at the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea. Britain won four medals at the 2014 Winter Olympics, equalling the 1924 haul from Chamonix, but the Sochi haul could rise following the Russian doping scandal.

Konta exits first round

FA adopts ‘Rooney Rule’

JOHANNA KONTA saw her Sydney International title defence swiftly ended as she lost to Agnieszka Radwanska in the first round. A surprising slide in the rankings to 28th meant former world number two Radwanska entered this week as an unseeded player, but she showed her quality in a 6-3 7-5 victory over British hope Konta. In a repeat of last year’s final match-up, this time fourth seed Konta could not take control against Poland’s former Wimbledon runner-up.

AT LEAST one candidate from a Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic background will be interviewed for future roles within the England set-up, the Football Association has announced. Chief Executive Martin Glenn revealed the FA will adopt its own version of the ‘Rooney Rule’ as the governing body confirmed its plans for the forthcoming year. Glenn said the rule will be implemented whenever the FA come to choose Gareth Southgate’s successor.

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NEWS

Letters

Wednesday January 10 | 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 WARM WELCOME Support for those who drop in

Robbing a cancer charity really is lowest of the low It remains way, way above (or below) my comprehension as to why any self-respecting burglar could consider breaking into a cancer centre. Drugs, maybe? Cash? Computers? Returning to my writing work after a quiet,

Unite in fighting dementia I want to take the opportunity to thank local Alzheimer’s Society supporters who united against dementia last year by fundraising, campaigning and volunteering. In 2017, our Dementia Cafes and activity groups, which would not be possible without our volunteers, provided regular support and respite for people and families affected by dementia. In Tunbridge Wells, our Dementia Friendly Community launched a very successful twiddle mitt appeal, and the Dementia Community Roadshow visited Fiveways in May. With 6,368 people living with dementia in West Kent, the need to unite in the fight against dementia has never been more pressing. From volunteering with the Alzheimer’s Society to joining one of our fundraising events or writing to your local MP, there are many ways people can get involved to help beat dementia in 2018. The best gifts can’t be wrapped, so whether you give an hour, a day or more, please visit www. alzheimers.org.uk/getinvolved to find out how you can unite against dementia. Kate Sergeant Alzheimer’s Society Services Manager Sevenoaks, Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells

Shocking waste of resources I really must challenge the wisdom of Tunbridge Wells Borough Council’s proposed expenditure on a new Civic Centre, whilst so many other demands for resources exist in this town. I have been campaigning for a pedestrian crossing outside the Baptist Church and doctor’s

relaxing and enjoyable festive season, I was horrified/ appalled/angered to hear that the donations-reliant Pickering Cancer Drop-in Centre in Tunbridge Wells had been broken into just after Christmas. This is a centre with a massive heart, offering valuable warmth and solace to those suffering the ravages of a terrible disease; both to sufferers and their families. All who offer their valuable services are volunteers, and go about their lives with selflessness and dignity, while offering their priceless kindness to all mankind. I hope those who perpetrated this heinous crime may, one day, develop a conscience, or at least have the term ‘morally bankrupt’ explained to them. Keith Palmer Via email surgery in Upper Grosvenor Road for some time, only to be told that there is no money available. Well, this afternoon I witnessed an elderly gentleman who, upon leaving the surgery, attempted to cross the road and, finding speeding traffic coming, turned to regain the kerb. He fell in doing so and remained lying in the road for many minutes, whilst other pedestrians gathered round to aid him. Ultimately, he was attended to by a first aid person, with minor injuries from his fall and, of course, severe shock. What would it take for those who represent us to get their priorities right? Will it take severe injury or, indeed, a death before they take their eyes off this vanity project and do right by the people they are supposed to represent? Martin Dawes Via email

Parking’s Lidl shop of horrors I note from Mr Hammond’s letter [December 27] that he has had a problem with over-zealous exponents of car park controls. Your readers may like to be made aware of similar activities at the Lidl store at Crowborough. In principle, free parking of 90 minutes is allowed to those shopping in the store. When I parked for 48 minutes (their timing), I received a ‘parking charge notice’ from a company called Athena ANPR for £90, although my parking was fully registered on their internal machine. I sent complaint letters both to the manager of the Lidl store and the Athena company, enclosing a copy of my shopping invoice that records both date and time, and requested an apology.

No response to either letter has been received. In future I shall take care to avoid Lidl stores. Other shoppers may wish to consider if they want to incur the risk of being confronted by bills for undue parking charges when shopping there. A Magnus Via email

Cuts will cut off communities I see that Paul Carter has apologised for pressing send too soon on his list of bus routes that could be scrapped [December 13]. But while the Kent County Council Leader has said sorry for this mess, there has been no thought about the difficulties these cuts could cause. I live in a small village, and I know just how devastating the loss of a lifeline bus service could be. Many residents, especially the elderly, will feel completely cut off if they do not drive. Not everyone can afford to take a taxi everywhere. So instead of blaming his own government for reducing funding, perhaps he [Mr Carter] could stand up for his constituents for once. While all bus services might not be profitable, they are valued and important. Surely any local authority owes this to its residents? Enid Browne Bidborough

Fallon too fallible to carry on So [Sir] Michael Fallon states that he should still remain as MP for Sevenoaks as he can bypass bureaucracy [December 27]. I stood as a Lib Dem Parliamentary candidate at the last three general elections in Sevenoaks, and I would say that there are many people equally or more qualified to represent his constituency. At the 2017 general election, he was noticeably absent from hustings in Swanley, and was rarely seen on the streets. A Sevenoaks School public meeting was also cancelled due to his lack of availability, so I spoke to the sixth form instead. What does Michael have to say about aboveinflation rail fare rises and Brexit? Sevenoaks surely deserves better? He should resign and let the people decide. Dr Alan Bullion Via email

On the wrong train of thought On your front page [December 27], you wrote ‘with both Southeastern and Southern scheduling engineering works’ [over the Christmas and New Year period]. May I point out to you that neither of these companies does this: Engineering work on the railway is carried out by Network Rail. The train operating companies have to reschedule their trains, and organise buses, around the work. If local buses were unable to use the A26 for any reason, would you say that Arriva was scheduling roadworks? John Brandon Tonbridge

We do our best to publish letters in full. However, the Editor reserves the right to edit any letter. Please ensure that letters do not exceed 250 words

Calverley

Observations on life and more important things

ANOTHER year has ended, and yet again it’s ended in disappointment. The name of Calverley did not appear on the list of New Year’s Honours. What does one have to do? Mind you, if you had bothered to look at the list (oh yes you did), you would have seen that leading Remainers (or Bremoaners as they prefer to be called) were handed the gongs while those who supported Leave were handed tax demands for giving money to help the cause. Come on Theresa, get with programme.

IN an attempt to gloss over the snub of no honour, Calverey took himself off to that ever popular Tunbridge Wells nighttime haunt MooMoo. He was joined by friend Laura who, being single and footloose, was happily bopping away on the dance floor impressing the young studs. She caught the eye of quite a few, and it all looked as though there would be a happy ending. That is until the DJ chappie announced: “Big night tonight for Laura over there, who is celebrating her 50th birthday.” Talk about a mass exodus. ENGLISH is probably one of the most expressive languages on earth. So why do people have to abuse it? Take the BBC Radio 4 debate that Himself was enjoying up to the point where one of the contributors talked about people having problems with various issues. The contributor, though, talked about ‘problematising’ the issue. ‘Problematising’!!!! (Calverley rarely uses exclamation marks.) REGULAR readers will know this column often features the Leader of TW Borough Council David Jukes and his drive to spend £90million on a new Civic Complex. Many comments are overheard in local bars where those who oppose him gather. The other day, Calverley caught a little gem from those chatting about Cllr Jukes: “He is one person who is unhindered by self-doubt.” And what’s wrong with that? Chin Chin, readers

Education

Wednesday January 10 | 2018

EDUCATION Times WITH THE

Be a hero by helping a child to read – thereby unlocking their true potential Literacy charity Beanstalk has launched a new campaign to inspire people to become local reading heroes at primary schools. Malou Bengtsson-Wheeler, Area Manager for Beanstalk South East, explains how you can get involved… OUR new campaign for 2018 aims to highlight the extraordinary difference members of the community can make by volunteering in primary schools to support children who struggle with reading. We at Beanstalk believe that the work our ‘reading heroes’ carry out has a number of key benefits. Two obvious ones are that it will improve the lives of children that need extra help in order to prevent them from falling behind at school, and also, importantly, bring that vital sense of enjoyment into reading.

Breakthrough For over 40 years, Beanstalk has recruited, trained and supported reading helpers in primary schools to provide one-to-one support where it is crucially needed. Many children in Kent still leave primary school not having met the expected standards of reading,

SCHOOL SUPERHERO All kinds of people can help shape our children’s futures

which can lead to all sorts of problems in later life. By working with children who have either fallen behind with their reading, or who lack confidence, or struggle with their fluency or comprehension, Beanstalk’s reading helpers can make a significant difference to their future prospects. Their one-to-one sessions twice a week with the children they support will help them progress while also helping to encourage reading enjoyment. In 2016-2017, Beanstalk reading helpers supported approximately 1,650 children in Kent with their reading. Beanstalk reading helpers really are local heroes within our communities, and do so much more than just read. They develop confidence, self-esteem and, importantly, help make reading fun and enjoyable. We regularly hear from volunteers who have had ‘breakthrough’ moments with a child because they found a particular book, poem or story which captivated that child’s interests.

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These moments are often the turning point for a child and happen as a result of regular and consistent reading opportunities. Once trained by Beanstalk, reading helpers on the Beanstalk Reading 321 programme work with three children at a local primary school, and spend 30 minutes with each child twice a week during term-time for at least one academic year. Each session is meant to be relaxed, informal and fun. By having this one-to-one time with each child, the reading helper can help tailor resources to the child’s interests and develop reading skills in a fun and engaging way. If you would like to become a Beanstalk reading hero in 2018 and would like to help children in your community reach their full potential, visit www.beanstalkcharity.org.uk

CASE STUDY: Liz has been a Beanstalk reading helper for 15 years in the Tonbridge area and has worked with many children and a range of reading abilities “I joined Beanstalk as a volunteer because when I retired I really wanted to use the skills and experience I had gained in my 20-year career as a social worker. At first I was working with children in years three and four, and now I support older children in years five and six. “At this stage in their education, most of the children can read, but it’s the enjoyment and confidence that they are lacking, and I am able to give them that regular one-to-one-time to work on that with them. “I enjoy reading myself, and believe it is so important to engage children in books – not just through reading, but through talking about their interests and through giving children a choice in what they want to read. That is what really brings out the enjoyment for them.”

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NEWS

Weekly Comment

Wednesday January 10 | 2018

Greg Clark

MP for Tunbridge Wells

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

A new year brings new challenges for our community OUR area regularly features in national surveys as one of the most attractive places in Britain to live, and the beauty of our natural environment is a big part of that. Few other places have managed to bring the countryside into the heart of a town as Tunbridge Wells, Southborough and Rusthall have, as the glorious commons sweep in to the doorsteps of town and village houses. But part of our success is the man-made, too. For me, one of the highlights of 2017 was the completion of the A21 dualling between Tonbridge and Pembury. I think the road is even better than could be pictured in advance. But its completion reminds us that we need continued improvement. The beginning of a new year is a good time to set out some of the campaigns that I hope we will be able to pursue together as a community during the next 12 months. The A21 dualling has improved things, but it certainly hasn’t solved our transport problems. I want to press the case for the next single carriageway section of the A21 – between Kipping’s Cross and Lamberhurst – to be dualled. And in our rural areas, to act on the speeding

reductions in the bus services need to be rethought, and I want to see more progress on cycle paths – of which the link between Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells town centres provided by the new A21 cycle path will be a big step forward. Aircraft noise in parts of our area continue to make people’s lives a misery. The installation of equipment to INNER BEAUTY eliminate the whine from Tunbridge Wells Common Airbus planes should be complete during the year, traffic, which is an increasing hazard. but Gatwick has much further to go during 2018 to A new rail franchise should be awarded during satisfy us that flights are being distributed in a the year, and I want the new operator to provide way that minimises the noise impact. more seats; stops at Paddock Wood and Marden Healthcare will be a big focus throughout 2018. preserved; more flexible tickets to accommodate As readers know, I have been campaigning for part-time commuters; Wi-Fi on board trains; as years to see more recognition – and resources – well as moves to correct the higher fares we pay given to mental health services. At long last, this is compared to other lines. now acknowledged as a priority. A new Trust Kent County Council’s initial proposals for major |operating the children’s and young people’s ser-

Mark Hood Vice-Chairman of the Tonbridge & Malling Green Party

vice has just taken over, and I will be doing everything I can to ensure that this new service provides young people with the support they need as soon as they need it. Crucial to the prospects for young people are that we safeguard the quality of our schools, and open new ones in areas where there are shortages of places – such as Hawkenbury.

‘There’s much more besides – like getting better broadband and mobile coverage’ And during the year ahead we must make more progress on providing homes in our area that are affordable to young people who grew up here and who want to stay here. There’s much more besides – like getting better broadband and mobile coverage, and making our towns and village centres attractive to shoppers – and my view is that success requires action across the full range of contributions to what makes an area a good place to live. So here’s to a busy and productive 2018.

Mark Hood has established the Barden Residents’ Association, is a founder member of Keep River Lawn Green, and campaigned to save the Barden Boatyard and River Lawn from development. He is one of the organisers of the Tonbridge Calling festival

Why we will be fighting for a Tonbridge Town Council TONBRIDGE & MALLING GREEN PARTY has long believed that Tonbridge needs its own council to represent its interests, and the last year has brought the inadequacies of the status quo into sharp focus. We will be campaigning in 2018, with all other interested parties, to make Tonbridge Town Council a reality. A new Town Council can concentrate on issues that can transform our town. Things like youth, arts and heritage projects, festivals, tourist facilities, information and promotion, town beautification, open spaces, antisocial behaviour prevention, resident consultations and neighbourhood planning. Many of these issues seem to be beyond the scope of our current authority. Breathing new life into our community need not come at a cost. After all, we are paying for a town council already. The key will be to make a difference on a budget which will enrich everyone. Some projects could actually raise funds. If Hildenborough has a Parish Council, why not Tonbridge? Every other part of the borough is served by a parish or town council but, despite the introduction of so-called ‘Fair Charging’, we do not have the council to administer that precept. Tonbridge is under-represented within Tonbridge & Malling. We want to address this democratic deficit by formally electing new (unpaid) Town

Councillors to represent our community, examine development proposals and deliver better facilities. Greens would like to see more decision-making devolved to a local level, giving people a greater say while also opening up the council to greater public scrutiny. It doesn’t have to cost a fortune to make democracy more transparent. Much better use could be made of social media and video, for example, to keep people informed and engaged before decisions are made.

‘We need a body set on maximising the exciting potential of a market town – transforming itself for the future’ The Tonbridge Town Council campaign will launch a petition to secure the support of at least 7.5 per cent of the population of the town, which will trigger a formal consultation by Tonbridge & Malling Borough Council [TMBC]. There is real appetite for change. A recent survey of 505 people in the town revealed that just over 80 per cent were in favour of a Tonbridge Town Council. The possibility of a new West Kent Authority to replace Tunbridge Wells Borough Council, Sevenoaks District Council and TMBC is looking all the more probable, which would leave Tonbridge

VISION? Sevenoaks has its own Town Council without adequate representation, so now is the time to act. Medway Council is currently considering the results of a lengthy consultation to decide on introducing a new Rochester Town Council, following an excellent campaign by residents, and we will be following their lead. Tonbridge is missing out on initiatives across a whole range of topics, as TMBC does not respond to

them. We need a body set on maximising the exciting potential of a market town – transforming itself for the future while retaining the best of its past. Having a dedicated local body, working alongside other towns across the region, will make sure we don’t become a bland, dormitory town but a thriving cultural, educational and recreational centre bound together by our fantastic community. It is time for change.

WEST KENT’S ULTIMATE PROPERTY GUIDE – FREE EVERY WEDNESDAY A MUST-READ FOR THOSE LOOKING TO BUY, LET OR SELL

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WITH THE

Available in Tunbridge Wells and Tonbridge

bracketts

est. 1828

A taste of the country in the town

A villa in a central woodland setting

24

PROPERTY

To suit your budget

Wednesday January 10 | 2018

Your at-a-glance guide to WITH THE

OF TUNBRIDGE WELLS

Pick up your edition at the following stations

NEWLANDS LANGTON GREEN £675,000

Tunbridge Wells Tonbridge Wadhurst Hildenborough Paddock Wood High Brooms

To feature a property or to place an advert please call: Patsy Kelly 01892 774781

Alternatively you can contact the Times of Tunbridge Wells in the following ways 01892 779 624 16 Lonsdale Gardens, Tunbridge Wells, Kent, TN1 1NU newsdesk@timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk

f facebook.com/timeslocalnews k twitter.com/timeslocalnews L timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk

UNDER £250,000 LITTLE PARK, WADHURST

GUIDE PRICE

£175,000 (LEASEHOLD) A purpose-built, top floor, onebedroom apartment in a village location and in need of some modernisation. The property is on a 999-year lease from January 21, 1994 and boasts well-proportioned rooms.

The kitchen has a range of units and there is space for a fridge and freezer. The windows are double glazed, and the outside of the property has a communal area of garden. The ground rent and service charge are currently £87 per month. CONTACT Bracketts Tunbridge Wells 01892 533733 www.bracketts.co.uk

UNDER £350,000 HOPBINE COTTAGE PRIORY WALK, TONBRIDGE

£305,000 Close to the station and shops, this tucked-away terraced house has cosy accommodation and is ready to move into. On the ground floor, there is a sitting room, dining room, kitchen and a newly fitted bathroom. The

first floor has two bedrooms. Outside, there is a courtyard garden with a garden store. With a new boiler, new flooring, double glazing, and a parking space, the property is offered with no chain and would make an ideal first buy. CONTACT Barnes Kingsnorth Tonbridge 01732 771616 www.bkestateagents.com

To suit your budget

Wednesday January 10 | 2018

PROPERTY

25

great properties by price range… UNDER £450,000 DOUGLAS ROAD, TONBRIDGE

£400,000 An Edwardian home in a popular area for commuters. The rooms are neutrally decorated and the sitting room has a period-style fireplace and bay window. The dining room is a good size, with storage under the stairs and the kitchen has a built-in oven and hob. There are three bedrooms and a bathroom on the first floor. The master bedroom has a feature cast iron fireplace and storage. There is a gravelled garden to the front and a garden with a lawn to the rear. CONTACT Barnes Kingsnorth Tonbridge 01732 771616 www.bkestateagents.com

UNDER £600,000 STOCKS GREEN ROAD HILDENBOROUGH

OFFERS IN EXCESS OF

£500,000 A detached property in a sought-after location close to Stocks Green School. The current accommodation comprises four/five bedrooms, two/three reception rooms and is in need of updating. Or the property could be replaced subject to planning permission – potentially to provide a larger house or two semi-detached homes. The plot is one third of an acre, with the current building sitting at the rear of the plot. CONTACT Bracketts Tonbridge 01732 350503 www.bracketts.co.uk

UNDER £1MILLION OLD BARN CLOSE, TONBRIDGE

UNDER £700,000 NEWLANDS, LANGTON GREEN TUNBRIDGE WELLS

£675,000 A detached chalet bungalow with versatile accommodation located on a corner plot. On the ground floor, the property currently comprises a porch, entrance hall, sitting room, dining room, kitchen/breakfast room, garden room/conservatory, two bedrooms and a shower room. The timber and brick-built garden

GUIDE PRICE room/conservatory has doors at each end leading into the garden, and also has a utility area with plumbing. On the first floor, there are two more bedrooms and a shower room. Outside, there is a garage, driveway and a wellmaintained rear garden. CONTACT KMJ Property Rusthall 01892 515188 www.kmjproperty.co.uk

£850,000-£900,000 A large, detached family home set in a small close of four properties. The house is well presented throughout and on the ground floor comprises a hall, living/dining room, kitchen/ breakfast room, formal lounge, study and utility room. To the first floor are three bedrooms, a further master bedroom with en-suite bathroom and a family bathroom. Outside, there is a good sized garden, detached double garage and driveway. CONTACT Bracketts Tonbridge 01732 350503 www.bracketts.co.uk

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PROPERTY

Holden Road

Wednesday January 10 | 2018

AT A GLANCE

HOLDEN ROAD SOUTHBOROUGH n Porch n Entrance hall n Drawing room n Sitting room n Dining room n Conservatory n Kitchen n Cloakroom n 5 bedrooms n 2 bathrooms n Off-road parking n Garden with pond and shed n Pebble stone path n Secure electric gate

A stylish, spacious Edwardian villa with many period features

£1,200,000 Available for sale through Wood & Pilcher Southborough 01892 511311 www.woodandpilcher.co.uk

The rear garden is artistically crafted with a pond, pergola and patio

32

PROPERTY

Musgrove Place

Wednesday January 10 | 2018

A collection of new homes – all offering gardens and garaging

Internally, close attention has been paid to detail. Externally, there are paved driveways and Indian sandstone patios

AT A GLANCE MUSGROVE PLACE CROWBOROUGH n TV/Sat and BT/data points n Living room n Kitchen/breakfast room n LED downlighters or pendant lights n Downstairs underfloor heating n Crown Zeluso wall and floor cabinets n Island unit with solid quartz worktop n Porcelain floor tiles n Master bedroom n Further 3/4 bedrooms n White bathroom suite n Garage n Ten-year warranty

Prices starting from

ÂŁ615,000

Available for sale from Wood & Pilcher Crowborough with Cubed Homes 01892 665666 www.woodandpilcher.co.uk

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FEATURES

Food & Drink

Wednesday January 10 | 2018

A recipe for healthy eating success In the second part of our healthy eating guide for the new year, we show you how you can achieve a more nutritious and delicious diet – courtesy of these tempting recipes APPETISING SIDE DISHES PAN-GRILLED BROCCOLI

You want to partially caramelize the broccoli in a pan, so try not to toss or stir the pan in the first few minutes of cooking. Serves 4 YOU WILL NEED n 1-2 tablespoons olive oil n 1 head of broccoli, with the

tough bottom stem trimmed off and sliced into 1.5cm / ½inch2cm / ¾inch thick pieces n 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped or grated n salt, to taste METHOD

Heat enough olive oil to cover the bottom of a large frying pan/ skillet with a lid over a mediumhigh heat. Add the broccoli, distributing the pieces in an even layer. Season with salt. Cover with a lid and cook for 4 minutes without stirring, allowing the bottom to caramelize. Add 120ml / ½ cup of water and

the garlic and stir, flipping the broccoli slices as you do so. Cover again and cook for another 3 minutes until tender and caramelized on both sides.

FIVE-SEED SLAW

This colourful slaw gets extra crunch and flavour from the addition of toasted seeds. You can make this the day before you intend to serve it and store it in the fridge. Serves 4 YOU WILL NEED n 1 tablespoon sesame seeds n 1 tablespoon pumpkin

seeds/pepitas n 1 tablespoon sunflower seeds n 1 teaspoon cumin seeds n 1 tablespoon poppy seeds n 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard n juice of ½ lemon n 2 tablespoons olive oil n ¼ head of red cabbage, finely sliced using a mandoline or knife n 60g/1 cup kale, with the stems

removed and shredded n 1 large carrot, grated or peeled

with a Julienne Peeler n Small handful of fresh coriander/cilantro or parsley leaves, roughly chopped n salt, to taste METHOD

Heat a medium frying pan/skillet over a medium heat. Add the sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds/ pepitas, sunflower seeds, cumin seeds and poppy seeds. Dry toast for about 5-6 minutes, until fragrant and the sesame seeds are beginning to brown. Transfer the seeds to a plate and allow time to cool fully. In a large bowl, combine the Dijon mustard, lemon juice and olive oil. Season with salt to taste and whisk quickly with a fork. In the same bowl, add the kale, cabbage, carrot and fresh herbs and toss to evenly coat everything in the dressing. Add the toasted cooled seeds and toss again.

Food & Drink

Wednesday January 10 | 2018

FOR THE BERRY COMPOTE: n 300g mixed fresh or

Serves 2

frozen berries n 1 teaspoon maple syrup n Pinch of ground cinnamon n 1 teaspoon chia seeds (optional, although you will have to extend the cooking time by a little if you leave them out) n 2 medium-sized sterilised jars with lids

YOU WILL NEED

OPTIONAL TOPPINGS:

n 95g rolled oats n 235ml coconut or

almond milk n 1 medium sweet apple (such as Honeycrisp or Pink Lady), grated n 1 tablespoon flax seeds n 1 teaspoon maple syrup n ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon n Pinch of salt n 1 teaspoon lemon juice

Recipes courtesy of The New Nourishing by Leah Vanderveldt, published by Ryland Peters & Small (£16.99). Photography by Clare Winfield © Ryland Peters & Small

n Toasted nuts and seeds n Toasted coconut flakes n Hemp seeds n Almond butter n Yogurt

METHOD

In a medium bowl, mix the muesli ingredients together until well combined. Portion between the two jars, cover with the lids and refrigerate

Delicata squash has a subtle nuttiness that goes well with so many different flavours. Try roasting a big batch ahead of time, but if you can’t get your hands on it, then use broccoli, butternut or peppers. Serve with a dash of chilli paste for a spicier bowl.

overnight. (This gives the oats plenty of time to soften and soak up the flavours). Make the berry compote straight after preparing the oats. Combine the mixed berries, maple syrup and cinnamon with 120ml water in a small saucepan. Bring to the boil over a medium heat then stir in the chia seeds (if using*). Reduce to a simmer and cook for about 7-8 minutes until the liquid has reduced and the mixture is taking on a jammy consistency. *If not using chia seeds, the mixture will need cooking for about 10-13 minutes. Allow to cool, then place in the fridge overnight with the oats. Serve the bircher muesli layered with or topped with the berry compote and any additional desired toppings.

your energy levels throughout the day n Having a good, healthy diet can help with balancing your hormones, especially in women, and can also have a positive effect on your mood

n The best thing you can do for your heart is to eat a healthy balanced diet. It is especially important to increase your intake of oily fish, nuts, seeds and oils. For more information, visit www.marilynglenville.com

n 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped n 50g/2 cups kale, with the stems

Serves 2-3

removed and shredded n 3 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce n 1 tablespoon maple syrup or honey n 2 large spring onions/green onions, thinly sliced, to serve n Toasted sesame seeds, to serve (optional) n A baking tray, oiled

YOU WILL NEED

METHOD

n 1 delicata squash, cut in half

Preheat the oven to 220°C (425°F) Gas mark 7. Arrange the squash on the prepared baking tray so that each piece has plenty of room. Roast in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes until golden, flipping with a spatula halfway through. Meanwhile, cook the soba noodles in boiling water following the package instructions (the cooking time will vary according to the type of noodle). In a colander, drain and rinse under cold water. In a large frying pan/skillet, heat the oil over a medium-high heat. Add the ginger and garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the kale and cook for 2-3 minutes or so until wilted. Add the tamari or soy and maple syrup or honey and stir vigorously to combine. Add the noodles and squash and stir gently to coat everything. Portion into bowls and serve with large spring onions/green onions and toasted sesame seeds.

lengthwise, deseeded and sliced into half-moons n 175g/6oz soba noodles n 1 tablespoon olive or avocado oil n 2.5cm/1inch piece of fresh ginger, finely grated

Top tips from the UK’s leading nutritionist specialising in women’s health, Dr Marilyn Glenville, who runs a clinic in Tunbridge Wells n A balanced healthy diet with plenty of fruits, vegetables and whole grains will help to strengthen your immune system against illness and disease and reduce inflammation. It will also help to boost

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SOY AND GINGER DELICATA WINTER SQUASH BOWL

COCONUT BIRCHER MUESLI WITH BERRY COMPOTE Bircher muesli is a combination of oats, fruit and liquid that’s been soaked overnight until the oats are softened and more easily digestible. Be sure to include the juices from the grated apple for extra flavour. When ready for breakfast, simply add your chosen yogurt and fruit topping.

FEATURES

Travel

Wednesday January 10 | 2018

FEATURES

47

There’s a big 50th birthday in Mauritius this year, and it’s a party you won’t want to miss In 2018, the Indian Ocean island celebrates 50 years of independence, and the iconic Le Saint Géran hotel has had a major revamp. Georgia Humphreys pays it a visit

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XPLORING Mauritius’s history-steeped sugar industry, our bubbly tour guide Shakti sprinkles the sticky, molasses-rich substance into my hand. “Here, try this,” she says, between stories of how this relatively tiny 790-square-mile island became one of the world’s most important producers of the sweet stuff, with the industry peaking in the mid-1800s. But while it was once dotted with sugar factories, warehouses and mills, today only a few remain. “Sugar cane farmers have had to diversify,” Shakti continues, explaining how shifts in demand and markets, along with the island being granted independence in 1968 following 150 years of British rule, triggered some major changes. Many farmers now operate high-end luxury resorts and golf courses, or have switched to niche markets like rum and coffee. A TIME TO CELEBRATE This year marks 50 years of independence for Mauritius, and there’s a whole host of events in the pipeline. “When we got independence, nobody was really betting anything on Mauritius, saying: ‘Oh, they’re going to just collapse because there’s no industry here except for sugar’. So we showed that, no, we could find ways,” says Shakti. One&Only Le Saint Géran opened in 1975 – the first luxury hotel to be built on the island. When I arrive at the resort, set on a secluded peninsula at the northern tip of the renowned Belle Mare coastline with views across the water in every direction, it feels as if I’ve been set adrift on a private island. Many of the staff have been here almost since

‘Famous names who’ve passed through the hotel include John Travolta and Prince William’

the start, including Preetham, who’s held various roles at the hotel for 42 years. Over coffee, he tells me about the famous names who’ve passed through the hotel’s doorways over the years – John Travolta, Prince William, Chris de Burgh… “The best was when we had the Gipsy Kings playing here for five days,” he says. “All the guests were watching and dancing.” Preethma has seen it all – the casino that used to attract throngs; guests turning from kids to adults as families return year after year; and visitors sobbing at the end of their stays because they don’t want to leave. EXCITING DEVELOPMENTS AHEAD The hotel – the most iconic place to stay on the island – is ready to embark on a new chapter following a nine-month, £41million renovation. Guests have already started returning, but the grand reopening is set for March 12 – the island’s Independence Day. “We will feel emotional because the hotel is helping the country to celebrate,” says Preetham. I take a tour of the resort to discover what’s new. On the tip of the resort’s peninsula is all-day restaurant La Pointe, where guests can dine with the sand of Palm Grove beach beneath their feet. I settle on the lagoon-view deck to enjoy a sundown cocktail, watching a pink glow set over the sugar cane-covered Coin de Mire mountain. The Island Daiquiri, made with local Green Island Light Rum and flavours of guava and banana (£14) fits the mood perfectly. Then there’s the new Asian tapas restaurant Tapasake, which has a chilled-out beach bar feel, with its waterside DJ booth and a jetty perfect for pre-dinner cocktails. Water is a central feature at the resort, so it’s only fitting the boathouse was given an update, too. Overlooking the calm lagoon, it’s stacked with watersports gadgets such as the Hobie Mirage Eclipse pedalboard, which I can’t wait to try. A bit like a cross trainer on water, I find it a lot less wobbly than stand-up paddle boarding, but it’s still an invigorating workout. ON THE UP An aerial view of the isle featuring Le Morne Brabant mountain

For a cool £3,535, five guests get champagne, a picnic lunch, a masseuse and butler, plus the skipper will stop at the best spots for snorkelling. Aside from these treats, chugging down the coast gives me a taste of life beyond Le Saint Géran. We see dozens of local kids having swimming lessons in the shallows of one beach, while further along fishermen, waist-high in the warm water, wave to us from behind their rods.

STEADY AS SHE GOES… Georgia on a pedalboard Elsewhere, the hotel now has padel courts (a racquet sport that’s a bit simpler than tennis), and new interconnecting rooms, signalling the resort’s move towards becoming more family-orientated. A LUXURIOUS NOD TO HISTORY One of the hotel’s new experiences is their Feel Like Royalty cruise on board the Lady Elizabeth, a beautiful vintage vessel built in honour of former sovereign Queen Elizabeth II.

WHAT’S HAPPENING ON THE REST OF THE ISLAND? Independence Day has been declared a national holiday, and there are plans for parades, traditional dance and music, light shows and performances. “There’ll be celebrations from day to night,” Shakti says with a grin. Whatever happens, there’ll be plenty of food – and if Shakti’s three-hour foodie tour of capital Port Louis (£393 for two people; mymoris.mu) is anything to go by, visitors will be in for a treat.

HOW TO GET THERE ■ Carrier (0161 492 1358; www.carrier.co.uk) offers 7 nights at One&Only Le Saint Géran from £2,155pp (two sharing) – saving up to £730 per couple – including breakfast, flights from London Gatwick with Emirates and private transfers. Offer valid for travel from April 29 to September 30, 2018 (Price based on departures June 11, 2018). For further information, visit www.oneandonlyresorts.com

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Gardening

Wednesday January 10 | 2018

WINTER GARDENS

Victoria Truman

Garden designe designer

This month our gardening expert advises us to use the winter to focus on trees – and other ways to liven up our outside spaces www.victoriatruman.com

Add bite with bark JANUARY is the time many gardeners and garden designers will be planting out trees whilst in their dormant state. Consider those trees with the added bonus of beautiful bark. They can add another dimension to your planting schemes at any time of year, but really come into their own during the winter months. The paperbark maple, Acer Griseum, is one of the most desirable. A beautiful small tree, it’s a perfect choice for small gardens and restricted

spaces, the bark is the colour of cinnamon and peels away naturally in thin layers, hence this tree’s common name, paperbark – lovely underplanted with hellebores. Cherries are a cheaper alternative. Prunus serrula has the most striking bark of all. Its polished mahogany-coloured bark, which peels away in bands with age, is especially valuable in winter when it will add a splash of much-needed colour to the garden. I have used five of these as a multi- stem tree planted in a long border among Pennisetum alopecuroides ‘Hameln’. A very simple, hugely effective long border with interest all year round.

Dramatic Silver birches still hold their appeal, especially the white barked Betula utilis var.jacquemontii. In smaller spaces, a real multi-stem is a better choice than a standard or a group of standards. However, where space allows, groups of individual specimens create a dramatic effect, especially underplanted with low, evergreen underplanting. Ferns also look fabulous. If you plant Acer palmatum ‘Atropurpureum’ near these birches, the leaf that turns brilliant red in autumn makes for a striking contrast against the white of the birch.

GARDENING TIPS FOR JANUARY  Curl up indoors – make the most of this quiet time in the gardening season to read inspiring books on gardens  Browse summer bulb catalogues  Walk around your garden, as now you are able to see the bare bones of the layout of the garden  Don’t be afraid to change your garden

 You can also use the winter time to mark out where potential new borders might work. It’s much easier to visualise such things when the garden is dormant  Plan which gardens to visit in 2018 – choose gardens that relate to you, and you can bring some of that inspiration into your own. Design always starts with one idea – that may be a single flower or a beautiful landscape which resonates inside you. From that, the seed grows!

Wishing everyone a very Happy New Year.

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Motoring

Wednesday January 10 | 2018

FIRST DRIVE:

Aston Martin

Vanquish S Volante WHAT IS IT? It’s a sad thought that the Vanquish S could just be the last car Aston Martin produces that features a naturallyaspirated V12 engine under the bonnet. Ever-tightening emissions regulations are consigning cars such as this to the history books at an alarming rate, replacing them with smaller, lesspolluting turbocharged power plants. While those engines may benefit from more power and a smaller appetite for fuel, they can’t quite match their naturally-aspirated ancestors when it comes to drama. And in the convertible Vanquish S Volante, you’re about as close to that drama as you can get.

WHAT’S NEW? Despite the above-mentioned drama, the Vanquish S Volante is actually a bit of a dinosaur these days. Although it was only brought to market last year, it still shares a lot of its make-up with the original second-generation Vanquish Volante, launched back in 2013. Key changes for the Vanquish S are more power from its mighty 6.0-litre V12 – up 27bhp to 592bhp, to be precise – as well as a new carbon-fibre front splitter and diffuser. There’s a restyled quad-exhaust system, too. Beneath the skin, Aston’s engineers have fettled the suspension to improve the super-GT’s poise through the corners.

WHAT’S UNDER THE BONNET? This is the Aston’s party piece, and arguably the primary reason why you’d

want to go out and spend £211,950 to get your hands on a Vanquish S Volante. The 6.0-litre V12 not only develops a considerable 592bhp, with peak torque standing at 630Nm, but the benchmark dash from 0-60mph is dispatched in 3.5 seconds – and it will carry on to a top speed of 197mph. Fuel economy from a car with a whopping great V12 under the bonnet is never going to be amazing, but compared with rivals such as the Bentley Continental GT convertible and Ferrari California T, the Aston’s claimed 21.6mpg is roughly par for the course.

WHAT’S IT LIKE TO DRIVE? There’s no question that there’s a certain sense of occasion that comes from getting behind the wheel. Slide down into the cosseting leather seat, pop the overlydesigned glass key into the ignition, and the V12 engine barks into life. While the folding fabric roof does allow you to take in more of that engine’s intoxicating soundtrack, the absence of a metal roof does mean that the car will never be quite as competitive as its coupé stable mate down a winding country road. However, that’s not the end of the world. Even though the Volante may be more than 100kg heavier than its rangemate, it still offers keener drivers an exhilarating drive thanks to its wonderfully balanced chassis, compliant dampers and wellweighted steering.

HOW DOES IT LOOK? You would be hard pressed to find a more

The Vanquish S Volante is one of the bestlooking convertibles on the market, but how does it drive? Simon Davis gets behind the wheel to put it to the test FEEL THE ROAR The engine’s full of V12 drama – but may be one of the last of its kind

FACTS AT A GLANCE: MODEL AS TESTED: Aston Martin Vanquish S Volante ENGINE: 6.0-litre V12 POWER: 592bhp TORQUE: 630Nm MAX SPEED: 197mph 0-60MPH: 3.5 seconds MPG: 21.6 EMISSIONS: 298g/km PRICE: £211,950

attractive convertible than this – no small feat considering the current crop of drop-top supercars. The long, elegant bonnet flows down to an aggressive front end, which is accentuated by that racy new carbonfibre splitter. At the back, a similarly sporty looking carbon-fibre diffuser has been added, while a new quad exhaust design hints at the Vanquish S’s increased performance. It’s a stunning-looking thing, and certainly one that attracts attention out on the road.

you can’t help thinking it looks rather dated – and even a bit haphazard in places. This theme is continued by the centre console, which adopts a somewhat button-heavy approach to its design, as opposed to the more minimal layouts that are increasingly favoured by both premium and budget manufacturers. Then there’s the infotainment system, which looks practically prehistoric next to those found in the likes of the Mercedes-AMG GT C Cabriolet and Audi R8 Spyder.

WHAT’S IT LIKE INSIDE?

WHAT’S THE SPEC LIKE?

The cabin is the biggest let-down. Yes, there’s plenty of leather, and everything has been stitched together by hand, but

Considering you’re paying north of £200,000 for the privilege of owning an Aston Martin Vanquish S Volante, you would hope standard equipment would be generous. For that rather considerable sum, Aston Martin will throw in leather upholstery, 20-inch alloy wheels, plenty of carbon fibre and a premium Bang & Olufsen 13-speaker sound system. So at least you’re not feeling short-changed in the equipment department. With that big 6.0-litre V12 under the bonnet, though, running costs are going to be pretty steep. The manufacturer quotes a combined fuel consumption figure of 21.6mpg, while CO2 emissions stand at a steep 298g/km.

VERDICT

‘The long, elegant bonnet flows down to an aggressive front end… It’s a stunninglooking thing’

Aston Martin’s Vanquish S Volante isn’t without its flaws. Sure, the power and soundtrack from the engine is addictive and it’s great fun on a windy road, but it’s let down by a cabin that doesn’t feel anywhere near as high-quality as its £211,950 price tag would suggest. Still, it has those drop-dead gorgeous looks, is comfortable at low speed, highly entertaining on a challenging road, and is likely to be one of the last Aston Martins to be powered by a naturallyaspirated V12 engine. That’s almost a good enough reason to buy one on its own.

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Drive News: A round-up of the latest news from the world of motoring…

County’s successful congestionbusting scheme set to continue A PILOT scheme that has halved roadwork disruption in Kent and London could be rolled out nationally following its success. Lane rental, a Department for Transport [DfT] initiative that sees utility companies charged up to £2,500 a day for carrying out work on major roads, was introduced to encourage firms to switch to more off-peak hours.

Roadworks The two pilot schemes in Kent and London were due to end in March 2019, but the department has announced it will continue as it is considering rolling out lane rental to other areas in England. According to the DfT, 2.5 million roadworks are carried out each year which cost the economy £4billion. This is because business expenses are increased due to employees turning up late and delayed deliveries. Transport Secretary Chris Grayling said: “Roadworks cause no end of problems for drivers when they’re done on busy roads and at peak times. “We’ve seen disruption to road users severely drop when works are carried out on quieter stretches away from heavy traffic. “Allowing Kent and London to continue with their lane rental schemes will mean millions of drivers will have better journeys.”

Businesses are also encouraged to collaborate on works to avoid the same stretch of road being dug up twice. In London, utility companies have worked together more than 600 times since the scheme began in 2015, up from just 100 beforehand. Glynn Barton, Director of Network Management at Transport for London, said: “Our lane rental scheme helps us improve how London’s roads operate for everyone. “By encouraging roadworks to take place away from the busiest roads at the busiest times, the scheme has been a resounding success in reducing the amount of congestion in London caused by roadworks – helping to improve journey

times for bus passengers, cyclists and drivers, while tackling emissions.” Matthew Balfour, Kent County Council’s Cabinet member for highways, said: “The council is pleased that it is able to continue its successful lane rental scheme. It is an important tool helping Kent to fulfil its network management duties and to keep the county moving.” Currently, most highways authorities use a permit scheme to oversee roadworks. If the lane rental scheme is rolled out across the country, it would give councils extra powers to manage works on the busiest routes and at peak times. The changes could be introduced next year.

FEWER JAMS The scheme reduces the impact of utility company roadworks

Wednesday January 10 | 2018

TURN OVER A NEW LEAF The car is both stylish and economical

Nissan reveals pricing for updated electric car range THE next-generation Nissan Leaf is now on sale from £21,990, including the government’s low-emission vehicle grant. Deliveries of the second iteration of the hugely popular electric vehicle begin next month. The car can travel about 50 per cent further on a single charge than its predecessor, with a claimed 235-mile range. There are five trim levels, from the entry-level Visia to the top-spec Tekna, which starts from £27,490. Carl Bayliss, Electric Vehicle Manager at Nissan in Great Britain, said: “With the new Nissan Leaf, all-electric motoring has never been more viable or affordable for almost any motorist. EV running costs are around 85 per cent less than petrol or diesel cars, and maintenance is almost 75 per cent cheaper. There’s £0 vehicle excise duty, free London

Congestion Charge and even free parking in some cities, not to mention convenient home charging. “It’s not surprising unprecedented numbers of drivers are going electric.” Nissan is offering finance from £339 per month on a three-year, 10,000 annual miles personal contract purchase agreement at 4.49% APR for the 2.Zero spec – the second-highest trim in the range. The offer is available with a customer deposit of £4,138 plus a £1,000 contribution from the dealer. This trim is limited to 1,500 examples and represents a £535 saving over an N-Connecta trim equipped to the same levels. It comes with ProPilot semiautonomous safety features, 17-inch alloy wheels, suede-effect heated seats and a seven-inch touchscreen infotainment system. Drivers can also get the car to park by itself.

Wednesday January 10 | 2018

Advertising

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Life & Style

Wednesday January 10 | 2018

INTRODUCING RAPPORT HOUSING & CARE The Abbeyfield Kent Society are now officially operating under the new name Rapport Housing and Care. They will continue to provide much-needed care and support across the region as an independent organization. They are recognized as experienced providers of care and housing for older people across the region and have grown exponentially to provide a variety of care options for local older people. They currently operate 14 services accommodating over 400 residents. Their decision to move forward separately from The Abbeyfield Society is supported by The Abbeyfield Society’s Chief Executive David McCullough, who has said “This move will give them greater independence to continue to develop at the pace and direction they want to, delivering excellent services that meet local need into the future.” Leon Steer, Chief executive of Abbeyfield Kent commented, “We are a leading household and care provider in the south-east… going forward we have plans to meet the sharply increasing numbers of older people”

NEW WEDDING PACKAGES TO BE UNVEILED AT PENSHURST PLACE AND GARDENS January will see the unveiling of many new wedding packages at Penshurst Place’s award-winning Open Day. From 10am to 3pm on January 13th, couples will be able to discover more about the banqueting rooms, including the Baron’s Hall and it’s candle-lit marriage ceremonies. Those dreaming of an open-air summer wedding can also visit the Inner Courtyard, as well as Penshurst’s Tudor Gardens – widely considered some of the most beautiful in England.

REGULAR EYE CHECKS ARE VITALLY IMPORTANT FOR ALL OVER THE AGE OF 50! Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is an eye condition that causes painless loss of central vision and is most common in people over the age of 50. AMD currently affects more than 600,000 people in the UK and is the leading cause of vision loss in the developed world.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT MAKING A WILL There are many reasons to make a Will, and some people are not aware that, without a Will, minor children of deceased parents can be taken into care whilst a court decides who should be appointed as Guardians. Similarly, your inheritance may go to the wrong person or even the state, and you cannot be sure that your spouse/ civil partner will be receive all of your estate, or even that a ‘Common Law’ partner will receive anything. Charity donations that you may wish to make, or money you may wish to give to friends, will also fall out of the Rules of Legacy and will not be acknowledged a your wishes. Not having a Will can cause lengthy delays for your Beneficiaries as well as potential family disputes. To book a free Will consultation in your own home, contact Peter Barrett at Wills & Lewis on 07504 902501. Wills and Lewis can review an existing Will or help advice on preparing you a new one completely.

www.willsandlewis.com

Enjoy complimentary Prosecco and canapés as you explore the house and grounds, chat with wedding specialists and experience some of the luxurious finishing touches. The packages offer convenience, a sumptuous three course dinner, drinks reception and a stunning venue whilst starting from £185 per person.

Visit www.penshurstplace.com to find out more about your dream wedding

It is estimated that at least 1 in 10 people over the age of 65 have some signs of AMD and that its incidence will continue to increase to almost 700,000 people in the UK by 2020, due to longer life expectancy and dietary changes. Early symptoms of AMD may include difficulty in reading, difficulty in recognizing people’s faces and distortions in the central vision. Miss Lucia Pelosini, MD FRCOphth, Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon at the Centre for Sight and Ophthalmology Lead Clinician at East Surrey Hospital has published innovative research on retinal imaging and says “We are extremely lucky to be able to offer these new treatments for AMD, however the early detection of wet AMD always results in better preservation of sight and reduces the risk of permanent damage to the eye.” It is crucial to diagnose and treat AMD as early as possible to prevent irreversible loss of central vision. It is also recommended that first-degree relatives of AMD patients monitor their eye health on a regular basis with simple non-invasive tests.

If you have any questions, call Centre for Sight 01342 306020 or email enquiries@centreforsight.com

HUNNI HOMES SUPPORTING LOCAL SCHOOL Estate Agents Hunni Homes have been supporting local charity preschool, St Matthews, in their bid to build a gazebo for their garden play area. There long standing support for the pre-school, including buying them a new fridge and oven, has enabled the pre-school to improve their services for local children. They have pledged their continued support to the school and are keen to improve the garden area for the children in advance of next summer.

www.hunnihomes.com

Puzzles

Wednesday January 10 | 2018

SUDOKU & JIGSAW SUDOKU 5

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

Codeword:

9 2 3 4 1 7

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

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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

D S A T M A B F A S T E A Q U R A D

W L E F A R I L A I O I R T I N E Z E E A I R E S T P R S A S E P E R C B Q U A L A U G R A I V E L S R A S E E

N K U R I E C E L E V I E I X I E S J U R Y O A H T E R N L N C I D Y S

Sudoku:

1 9 4 8 6 2 7 3 5

7 8 3 5 9 1 6 4 2

5 6 2 4 7 3 9 1 8

3 4 5 6 2 7 1 8 9

9 7 6 1 3 8 2 5 4

2 1 8 9 5 4 3 7 6

4 3 7 2 8 9 5 6 1

4 1 3 7 5 6 8 2 9

5 6 7 9 2 1 3 8 4

6 2 1 7 4 5 8 9 3

8 5 9 3 1 6 4 2 7

Jigsaw Sudoku:

7 8 5 1 9 3 6 4 2

3 9 6 2 1 4 5 7 8

1 5 4 8 6 7 2 9 3

9 3 8 6 4 2 7 5 1

2 7 9 4 3 8 1 6 5

8 2 1 5 7 9 4 3 6

6 4 2 3 8 5 9 1 7

© 2016 Syndicated Puzzles

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DIFFICULTY RATING: ★★★★

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© 2016 Syndicated Puzzles, Inc.

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CLASSIFIEDS

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTIONS

DIFFICULTY RATING: ★★II

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© 2016 Syndicated Puzzles

CODEWORD

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Recruitment

Wednesday January 10 | 2018

NEWS

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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Arts & Culture

Wednesday January 10 | 2018

How lupus led to a poetic journey of self-discovery

BUS STOP: Louisa with a copy of The Happy Bus

Louisa Campbell has had her first book of poetry, The Happy Bus, published. Ahead of her reading event next Tuesday at Vittle and Swig, she explains why falling ill gave her the ideal opportunity to write – and help heal others, too

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HEN I became ill and was diagnosed with Lupus ten years ago, I had to give up my career as a mental health nurse. It broke my heart. Lupus is a long-term condition causing inflammation to the joints, skin and other organs, and with my combination of physical and cognitive symptoms I reached a point where I was pretty much unable to do anything except write. But on reflection, it was as if guardian angels gave me the illness in order to kick start me into becoming a poet. I began an Open University writing course in 2015, and was incredibly lucky to have the poet John McCullough as my tutor. I passed with distinction and then went on to meet the concept poet Ira Lightman, and he offered to mentor me. Poems were just flying from my subconscious on to the page, and

‘Poetry can be cathartic and help you express emotions that you’ve been afraid to feel’ it soon became clear to me that I was writing to a mental health theme. That’s when my dream of being able to nurse people with my poems began. I found a wonderful publisher at Picaroon Poetry who believed in my work and then, last September, my first book was published – entitled The Happy Bus. It contains 21 poems, and I gave it that title because it charts the bumpy ride from dissociation, through anger, depression and anxiety to clarity, peace and joy– but also for another reason. I adopt rescued Romanian street dogs, and whenever a dog is

picked up by the pet transport van to take it to its new home in Europe, the rescuers write: ‘The happy bus has come for Rover…’ or whatever the dog’s name is. They then put a picture of a rather miserable-looking dog in a transport cage on their Facebook page. So I wrote the title poem of my book with this image in mind, as all the humans are ecstatic because the dog is heading for a life of luxury, but the dog on the ‘happy bus’ is still miserable because it doesn’t yet know it’s safe. To me this is symbolic of how we can still feel distressed even after a trauma is over, or if we’re feeling overwhelmed by something. We can have a think and check whether we’re actually on the happy bus. As well as reflecting my own experiences, a lot of the poems in the book include words or phrases I used to say to help distressed patients. It’s very important to me that the poems are easy for people to understand, and can stand up to the scrutiny of the poetry world. I have discovered that this particular writing genre can be magical. It helps you realise you share common experiences and feelings with others, and that connection can be healing. It can also assist with clarifying difficult thoughts that have been plaguing you and banish them from your head. Poetry can be cathartic and help you express emotions that you’ve been afraid to feel. Since its publication, two mental health charities have accepted copies of The Happy Bus for use in therapy. One has gone to a survivors’ group, which has invited me to do a Happy Bus-themed workshop later this year. Someone took the book to their counsellor, saying: ‘Look – this is how I feel’, and the counsellor in turn bought their own copy for use in their therapy sessions. Several people have bought extra copies of the book to give to

friends and relatives who are suffering from depression. One person, with no mental health issues, bought four extra copies for Christmas presents, just because the poems make her feel so joyful! I’ve also had lots of very positive comments from various people who have been kind enough to leave reviews on Amazon and lulu. com. One said: “The Happy Bus left me feeling happy to be alive. I felt positive that the bad things can be overcome, and that joy can be found even after the darkest journeys.” Very few people make money from poetry, and I’m certainly not one of them, but I shed happy tears every time someone tells me my poems have made them feel better, and that feeling is priceless. You can see The Happy Bus on tour throughout 2018. Its next stop is at the Kent & Sussex Poetry event at Vittle and Swig, Camden Road, Tunbridge Wells on Tuesday, January 16, at 7.45pm. Admission is £3 to non-members and £2 for students. And it will also be touring around the country on different dates. To find out more about Louisa Campbell and her national tour, see www.louisacampbellblog.wordpress.com And for details about the Kent and Sussex Poetry Society, see www.kentandsussexpoetry.com

Arts & Culture

Wednesday January 10 | 2018

FEATURES

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‘We have a very talented and energetic cast – who have given their all to make this production special’ Next week, the Rotherfield Players put on their performance of Cinderella from Thursday to Sunday. The theatre troupe’s Artistic Director, Derek Holland, tells the Times all about the group, and why they chose this classic pantomime tale… How did the Rotherfield Players begin?

We’ve been going for over 40 years. In December 1975, Alison Organ was asked to direct The Happiest Day of Your Life to raise money for Oxfam. The cast enjoyed it so much that the following December they performed The Diary of Anne Frank, and so The Rotherfield Players troupe was born. I’m pleased to say Alison is still a very active member.

How often are your shows?

We do a pantomime after Christmas, a spring play or musical, and an autumn one. Our fourth production is an outdoor one, staged each summer. We firstly perform in the gardens of The Kings Arms, Rotherfield, and then go on to the Noah’s Ark at Lurgashall near Petworth. Our next summer production will be William Wycherley’s restoration comedy A Country Wife.

Why did you decide to do a panto in January?

This was done initially because it proved difficult to get enough rehearsal time after our autumn production. It then became clear

this time was very popular with our audience. There is always an anti-climax after all the activities in December, and so families like something to look forward to in the dark days of January.

Why did you choose Cinderella?

I’ve always liked Cinderella ever since I played one of the Ugly Sisters back in 1982 in Southborough’s Royal Victoria Hall. It has everything you could wish for – a lovely girl meets handsome prince story, Fairy Godmother magic, two pantomime villains in the guise of the Ugly Sisters, and Buttons, who glues it all together and helps guarantee a happy ending.

What might audiences enjoy most about it?

IT’S SHOWTIME! Cinderella (Jes Lunn) and Buttons (Rob Darling)

Firstly, we aim our show at the children. Parents tend to laugh when their children laugh. They also love the slapstick and the audience participation. They ought to come away hoarse after shouting: ‘It’s behind you’ or ‘oh no you won’t’!

PLAY-TIME: There’s something for everyone in the Rotherfield Players and they’re always ready to welcome new members

When did you start to put the show together?

I started planning this show in July. I got a really great script from Keith Higgins, who ran Pantomime Productions in Southborough. I then asked Carole Swift to choreograph and Anna Thompson to be Musical Director, and she put together a five-piece band. We then auditioned dancers in September

along with the principals. This resulted in a very talented and energetic cast – who have given their all to make this production special. Cinderella is on at Rotherfield Village Hall from January 18-21. For details on how to get tickets, see www.rotherfieldplayers.co.uk

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FEATURES

What’s On

Wednesday January 10 | 2018

SEVEN DAYS OF FESTIVE ACTIVITIES AT A GLANCE

WHATS ON WITH THE

Eileen Leahy

If you would like to see your events featured in our weekly What’s On pages, please email: eileen@timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk

Local events LEARN THE LANGUAGE OF LOVE In Southborough

>> WEDNESDAY Star Wars: The Last Jedi is showing today and tomorrow courtesy of the Moonlight Drive-in Cinema at The Hop Farm. Screenings are at 7pm. Tickets are priced at £25 per vehicle. To book, visit www.moonlightcinema.com If you are a music fan, then pop along to the Odeon to see Eric Clapton: A Life in 12 Bars, which charts the history and heartbreak of this 18-time Grammy Award-winning musician’s illustrious career. Told through Clapton’s own words and that of his friends, family and fellow musicians, including BB King, Jimi Hendrix and George Harrison, it’s a fascinating insight into the public and personal life of one of the world’s greatest living rock gods. There will be a live Q&A streamed

PURE VINTAGE Drink in all the fun of the antiques fair at The Hop Farm

into the cinema after the biopic screening. For tickets and timings, see www.odeon.co.uk >> THURSDAY The EM Forster Theatre will be screening a National Theatre Live production of Young Marx. Starring Rory Kinnear as Marx, and Oliver Chris as Engels, it’s a new comedy written by Richard Bean and Clive Coleman and will be broadcast live from The Bridge Theatre in London. Directed by Nicholas Hytner, it reunites the creative team behind the hit Broadway and West End comedy One Man, Two Guvnors and follows the tale of political theorist Marx, who is hiding out in Soho trying to deal with writer’s block and a failing marriage with only his friend Friedrich Engels for company. Tickets cost £14, or £12 concessions. To book, call 01732 304241 or visit www.emftheatre.com >> FRIDAY The Big Brocante Vintage & Collectors Fair is on all weekend at The Hop Farm in Paddock Wood. Running from 8am until 5pm daily, it’s a veritable treasure trove of antiques, specialist and collectors’ items that’s sure to offer something to please most palates. Tickets cost £5 on the door, or £3 when booked online at www.thebigbrocante.co.uk HADS’ production of Cinderella is on at Hadlow village hall tonight at 8pm and tomorrow at 3pm and 7.30pm. Expect lots of singing, dancing and some amazing costumes and scenery. Tickets are £8.50 for adults and £6 for children (OAP concessions £6 Friday only) and are on sale in Hadlow Pharmacy and The Village Butchers and Store, East Peckham. >> SATURDAY The Tunbridge Wells Farmers’ Market returns to the town centre today, so if you need to stock up on any specialist

products, store cupboard basics or local epicurean treats, make sure you get down to the Town Hall where it’s on from 9am until 2pm. Also happening this morning is another children’s Saturday Craft Club. This month’s is entitled Making Mosaics, and the free two-hour sessions will run from 10am until noon and 2pm until 4pm at the Tunbridge Wells Museum & Art Gallery. Children must be accompanied by an adult at all times. See www. tunbridgewellsmuseum.org The popular Rusthall Cinema Club hosts another screening this evening from 7.30pm. Tonight’s film is Hidden Figures, a true story about a group of African-American women who were brought in by NASA because of their brilliant minds in order to solve a series of mathematical problems in the lead-up to the launch of the Apollo 11 space mission. Tickets cost £5 on the door or £40 for an annual pass. To find out more, visit www.rusthallcinema.club

TOP MARX National Theatre Live at the EM Forster Theatre

>> SUNDAY West Kent IVC is a social group that meets on a regular basis enjoying visits to historical places and the seaside as well as going out to eat, going ten-pin bowling and to the cinema. Their next meeting, which is also a chance for new members to join, is today at 3.30pm at the Hollywood Bowl in Tunbridge Wells. For more information, please call 0844 588 482, email: contact@westkentivc.org.uk or visit www.westkentivc.org.uk There’s another Comedy Tapas event at The Sussex Arms this evening from 8pm. Tickets cost £6 in advance or £8 on the door. Compered by Konstantin Kisin, tonight’s stand-ups include President Obonjo, Roz Ryan, Sunjai Arif and Harriet Braine. Fin Taylor headlines. For further information, visit www.twforum.co.uk

NO HOLDS BARRED View Eric Clapton’s story, A Life in 12 Bars, at the Odeon

>> MONDAY Pitch Perfect 3 is showing at drive-in cinema at The Hop Farm today and tomorrow at 7.30pm. The third instalment of the popular film – which follows a group of ‘mean girls, nice girls and weird girls’ who all bond through singing – catches up with the group known as The Bellas after they’ve won the world championships. But they don’t all agree with where they should be headed next… The film stars Anna Kendrick and Rebel Wilson in the lead roles and tickets cost £25 per vehicle. For more details, see www.moonlightcinema.com Starting this evening, and running every alternate Monday, is an Italian class for beginners at St Dunstan’s Church in Southborough. On from 8pm until 9.30pm, each session will cover a different topic, and there will be a brief refreshment break. Entrance costs £5, with proceeds going to the church fund. To book your place, contact Diana Mancini on 01892 537 017. >> TUESDAY This evening, the Odeon cinema will be screening a live transmission of Rigoletto. This particular production of Verdi’s dramatic and tragic opera is directed by David McVicar and is currently receiving much acclaim and positive reviews. Alexander Joel conducts the music and Dimitri Platanias and Lucy Crowe star. Tickets cost £23.25 and can be booked at www. odeon.co.uk

What’s On

Wednesday January 10 | 2018

PICK OF THE WEEK Concert: Castalian Quartet and Amy Harman Tonbridge Parish Church Saturday January 13, 7.30 pm Tonbridge Music Club presents a concert by the exciting young Castalian Quartet, who have won many major awards globally, and Amy Harman, who is principal bassoon with the Aurora Orchestra and the English National Opera Orchestra. Their programme contains quartets by Haydn and Schumann as well as music by Schubert, Francaix and Rosanna Panufnik. Tickets cost £20 for adults and £5 for under-18s. For more details, call 01732 838698 or visit www.tmc.org.uk

FEATURES

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THURSDAY Eva jacobs SATURDAY Mark Lees

Paul Dunton Live music

THE BEAU NASH TAVERN

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

Code Marla

SATURDAY Wayne Bridle SCALLYWAG CAFÉ

SATURDAY Code: Marla, Ten Bag Banditz, Speaker Louis, DJ Karl Quinn

45 Mount Ephraim Road, open all day, entry charge may apply, music from 8.30pm

THE ROYAL OAK

FRIDAY Ed Watts Piano SATURDAY Otford Lindy

Prospect Road Open all day, free entry, music from 8.30pm till late

TONBRIDGE FOLK CLUB

SATURDAY J.E.M. THE BEDFORD

2 High Street, open all day, free entry More information at www.thebedfordtw.co.uk

Amy Harman

Mount Ephraim, open all day, free entry, music from 8.30pm till late

The Flying Dutchman, Hildenborough Free entry music 8-11pm, hat collection (£7 recommended) Full details at www.tonbridgefolkclub.org

MONDAY Harbottle & Jonas Harbottle & Jonas

THE GREY LADY MUSIC LOUNGE

The Pantiles, doors 7.15pm, entry £6/£7 Websites: www.pdag.co.uk, www.thegreylady.co.uk

WEDNESDAY See www.pdag.co.uk/events for line-up FRIDAY Beat By Beat SATURDAY Over The Edge and guests TUESDAY Laura Lamn, Stuart Worsell THE TUNBRIDGE WELLS FORUM

Event information at www.twforum.co.uk

FRIDAY Local Legends Night: Bombay Monkey, The Incredible Bert , The Varlies, Blackadder

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NEWS

Sporting Times

CONTACT US:

Please send your sports stories to newsdesk@timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk or newsdesk@timesoftonbridge.co.uk

Wednesday January 10 | 2018

Tonbridge’s Olley set to lead the charge in Edinburgh showpiece By Andy Tong

andy@timesoftonbridge.co.uk ATHLETICS: TONBRIDGE Athletic Club has established an outstanding reputation for cross country running, and this weekend one of its most precocious talents, Chris Olley, represents Team GB for the first time. The 21-year-old is making his debut for the seniors at one of the most prestigious dates in the athletics calendar, the 8km Great Edinburgh International Cross Country, which will be shown live on the BBC. “It’s my first senior test, my first opportunity at this level. I’m quite confident,” says Chris (pictured right). “I’m proud, absolutely, and it’s a big honour.” He is running hot ahead of the biggest event of his career. Last month he was on top form with Britain’s Under-23s at the European Championships in Slovakia. But he is having to juggle the demands of training with taking exams in his final year at Imperial Col-

lege, London. He is in his fourth year studying physics, and compared with his peers he has an unusual way of getting to lectures in the capital. He runs four miles into campus and then eight or nine more on the way home. “I’m fitting my running in around my studies,” says Chris. “I tend to commute by running. It’s definitely not a typical thing to do.” Chris’s family live in Sevenoaks, but his earliest interest in running came abroad. His father is a diplomat and his first posting was to Finland. “It was just a bit of fun with my dad,” he says. “The running was preparation for playing ice hockey.” Chris started playing with pucks in Helsinki at the age of eight. The weekly training sessions of up to three hours were intense for such young athletes. “It’s very good for fitness, a very good aerobic sport,” he says. He began running seriously aged 15 when he joined the Tonbridge club. He returns to race there at the weekends, and in

COUNTRY MILE Chris Olley (left) takes part in the Europeans last month November the club won its first senior national cross-country relay title with him at the front. They also won the National Cross Country title in March and the National Six-Stage Road Relay Championships in October. It has become the club’s speciality and signature.

“Tonbridge is a very good community. It’s quite unique, with people competing at all levels and strong teams from the Under-13s upwards.” Mark was full of praise for Chris, saying: “He is one of the best and most consistent young distance runners in the UK and is showing signs now of making an impact beyond national level. “He has developed from a position of being back in the pack at 16, by training very patiently and consistently over the past five years. At just 21 years old he still has time to improve further.” And incidentally, although Chris has never done the Tonbridge parkrun, readers might like to know that his best time in the 5k event is something to aspire to: 15 minutes, three seconds. The Great Edinburgh International Cross Country will be shown live on BBC1 at 1.15pm on Saturday (January 13).

Together He admires the set-up presided over by his coach Mark Hookway because the age groups have grown up with each other and stay together. He says: “Mark has been pushing people to keep going and perform at senior level. That’s the emphasis. We are very good in the juniors and age groups. The other runners are your friends through all the age groups and that keeps you together when often people start to drop out.

Lawson’s double sees off tough challenge of Clifton Tonbridge Juddians 17 Clifton 10

however, as winger George Lawson grabbed a brace of tries. Both came from sustained pressure through the forwards. The first score arrived from a deft kick over the top by Liam Prescott for Lawson to home in on and score under the posts.

By Adam Hookway

Nervy

BY GEORGE Lawson sprints in for his second try

Leading Raiders roll Wells aside with mauling routine Guernsey Raiders 27 Tunbridge Wells 11 By Roger Clarke RUGBY: THIS was always going to be a tough first fixture of the year with a long journey to take on the leaders of the London and South-East Premier Division, and so it proved. A number of past Tunbridge Wells inhabitants now living in the Channel Islands were among the crowd as Wells started slowly after the three-week Christmas break.

PHOTO: Adam Hookway

RUGBY: TONBRIDGE JUDDIANS had ended last year on a high with the scalps of Taunton Titans and Canterbury, and they produced a workmanlike performance against visiting Clifton to win the first game of 2018 in National Two South. Clifton dominated territory and possession early on in cold and wet conditions, and took the lead with a converted try. TJs were struggling to put meaningful phases together but when they did, they manufactured a score for Duncan Tout and went in at the interval 5-7 after the conversion was missed. The second half saw the home side enjoy longer periods of possession. Both teams struggled with ball in hand, though Clifton added a penalty kick. A purple spell of TJ urgency secured the win,

They were soon pinned in the right-hand corner by a penalty and from the lineout a rolling maul saw hooker Tom Ceillan go over for an unconverted try on eight minutes. Wells came into the game and Guernsey were penalised for not rolling away, fly-half Frank Reynolds kicking the penalty successfully. The defensive line speed of the hosts made it difficult to get over the gain line. Visiting captain Chas Spence managed to get away for a 40-metre line break but Nick Doherty just failed to get the

ball away to brother Mike down the right. Guernsey sent another penalty to the corner and scored a carbon copy of their opening try with the rolling maul finished by Cameron Craine and converted on 23 minutes. The closest either side came to scoring in the second quarter was when Reynolds bounced a penalty kick from 40 metres on the crossbar, and the half came to an end at 12-3 to the Raiders.

Pressure All was still to play for in the second half and a diagonal kick to Blaise Salle almost saw the winger in. Wells picked and drove, only to lose control as they looked to go over. But their pressure was maintained and after several phases of play full-back Ryan TaylorDennehy picked an immaculate line to score from 20 metres, Reynolds missing the extras.

That put TJs in the lead 12-10, and then Lawson cut a line off his right wing to take Prescott’s pass and crash through for his second. The conversion was missed so a nervy final 10 minutes followed with TJs 17-10 ahead. Clifton pressed hard but could not break through. Four points was a good haul on a day when higher sides slipped up, and TJs are sitting in 10th place in the table after three wins on the bounce. Now they travel to Henley Hawks on Saturday (January 13, 3pm kick-off) looking to continue their impressive and hard-fought run. Wells dropped the ball from the kick-off and Guernsey showed speed and precision as openside flanker Dale Martin finished off good approach work. The visitors then lost hooker Luke Hawkins and second row Owain Withers to injury as their play started to look a little tired. The islanders upped their work rate, seeking the try bonus, but Reynolds pegged back the score on 55 minutes as he nailed a penalty for obstruction to make it 19-11. Another rolling maul saw Guernsey secure the bonus point but not the conversion on 58 minutes. Wells are a side with spirit and in the last quarter they only conceded a penalty. Next Wells, who are seventh in the table, entertain another of the division’s high-fliers, second-placed Tring, on January 13 (kick-off 2pm) in what is set to be a tricky start to the second half of the campaign.

Sporting Times

Wednesday January 10 | 2018

Angels let slip two-goal cushion after flying start Tonbridge Angels 2 Lowestoft Town 2 By James Rowe FOOTBALL:

TWO evenly matched sides had to settle for a draw which did little for either’s slim play-off hopes in the Bostik League Premier. But it was Angels who came away disappointed after going 2-0 up inside 12 minutes. It was a dream start for the hosts. After three minutes they were awarded a penalty when goalkeeper Ben Dudzinski brought down Alex Akrofi, Xavier Vidal converting. And after 12 minutes Dan Bennett’s pass put in

Half-­chances fell to Bennett, Akrofi and Elder but they could not find a winner. Angels manager Steve McKimm said: “Of course you have to be disappointed not to win when you go two up in the first 12 minutes at home. “We didn’t keep the ball well enough and that allowed them to gain in confidence, and to be fair they are a good side. “That said, I thought we finished the game on top and had chances to grab the winner.” Now Tonbridge travel to L­ eatherhead, who are one place above them in 10th, on Saturday (January 13, kick-off 3pm). The home game against Billericay Town, ­scheduled for New Year’s Day but postponed due to a waterlogged pitch, has been rearranged for Tuesday March 13.

Joe Turner, who steered his shot accurately past Dudzinski to double the home side’s advantage. There was an unfortunate clash of heads involving Jack Parter and Lowestoft’s Daniel Humphries which stopped play for eight minutes. Humphries had to be substituted while the heavily bandaged Parter was able to continue. But it was the away side who made the enforced break work to their advantage. Moving the ball around well they pulled a goal back just before half-time through Harvey Hodd. Lowestoft continued to dominate in the second half and the equaliser was fully deserved, Shaun Ramment setting up Nico Cotton on 74 minutes. It looked as if the Suffolk side might go on and take all the points but the introduction of Nathan Elder gave the Angels more bite up front.

Rusthall cannot recover from early double blow PHOTOS: Dean Jacquin

Beckenham Town 3 Rusthall 1

DAN’S THE MAN Mitchell (right) in action and (above) his goal flies into the net

By Richard Smith FOOTBALL: RUSTHALL were always going to be up against it after going 2-0 down inside six minutes away at in-form Beckenham and they could not recover despite a brave second-half effort.

The hosts had won their last five games, while the hosts were without several key players and then striker Steve Smith failed to turn up, leaving them with just two players on the bench – one of whom was the goalkeeper Callum Christie. Within a minute of the kick-off they found

Alexander and Organ make sure of victorious comeback Tunbridge Wells Ladies 2 Chelmsford 2nd XI 1 By Francis Bridgeman HOCKEY: TUNBRIDGE WELLS Ladies 1st XI began the second half of their league campaign with a well-earned victory. Following a four-week break, both sides failed to make much impact in the opening stages. Once Tunbridge Wells had settled into the game, however, forwards Harrie Alexander and Alex Sacker made some promising breaks. The defensive unit of Amy Hare, Louisa Richardson and Pip Ross also denied Chelmsford any clear scoring opportunities. At half-time, the score was goalless but in the second period the hosts began marking more effectively and becoming more dominant on the

ball. Yet it was Chelmsford who took the lead against the run of play. Wells’ continued pressure paid off soon afterwards, however, when they were awarded a penalty stroke for a bad foul in the circle, which Bertie Organ calmly converted to level the scores.

Skilful Jen Hunt kept driving through the midfield and connecting well with the forwards, and with 10 minutes to go, Organ finished a skilful run up the centre with a pass to player of the match ­Alexander, who neatly put away the winning goal. On Saturday (January 13) Wells travel to Crostyx, who lie two places and four points below them in East Region Division One South.

themselves a goal down when much travelled striker Richard Atkins finished in style. The much-changed line-up were still trying to settle when James Fray made it 2-0. Beckenham always looked dangerous on the break with the pacey Huender Santos a constant threat wide on the right. But on 33 minutes Beckenham were awarded a penalty following a tackle by Michael Tubb and Atkins slotted home the spot-kick. Straight from the restart Rusthall should have pulled a goal back when striker Dan Mitchell had just the keeper to beat but pulled his shot wide. Ryan Waterman was a threat on the right and one of his driven crosses was met at the far post by Mitchell but his header was blocked on the line by a defender. Rusthall did pull a goal back on 76 minutes when Mitchell finished well from the edge of the area following a very good passing move but the visitors were unable to score again. Beckenham went up into second place in the Southern Counties East League Premier Division, behind leaders Sevenoaks Town – who drew 0-0 at Tunbridge Wells – on goal difference while Crowborough Athletic lost 2-1 at Melksham. Bottom of the table Hollands & Blair visit Jockey Farm on Saturday (January 13, kick-off 3pm) for what will be a crucial game for Rustics in their bid to avoid a relegation fight.

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Ladies look strong for runners-up spot as Anastasiou and Janes see off rivals Long Lane Development 1 Tonbridge Angels Ladies 2 By Dan Couldridge FOOTBALL: TONBRIDGE ANGELS Ladies took a big stride towards securing a top-two finish in the South-East Counties Women’s League by beating their nearest rivals, third-placed Long Lane Development, at Kidbrooke. The home side were only able to field ten players but they proved more than a match for the ­Tonbridge squad, who were made to battle for all three points right to the end. Defender Flo Anastasiou was switched to right wing, a move that paid off in the 26th minute when Lauryn Underhill played the ball across and Anastasiou curled a shot in off the far post from the angle, her first goal for the club.

Lapse The scores were level within six minutes f­ ollowing after a lapse of concentration in the Angels defence. Underhill was tackled strongly inside her own half and the ricochet cleared the Tonbridge centre-backs, the Long Lane forward finishing neatly in a one-on-one with Sam Wright. However, Tonbridge regained the lead just before half-time when Nancy Syrett’s corner was ­collected by the prolific Becky Janes, who found the bottom corner from 15 yards out. It had been a high-tempo first half but the pace of the game slowed significantly in the second and clear-cut chances were few and far between for either side. Angels defended their slim lead and their best chances came from counter-attacks, but a strong showing from Lorrie Hyland in the Long Lane goal thwarted the visitors. Angels now require three wins from the last five games to guarantee themselves a top two finish behind the leaders Thamesview Ladies. The team now have a fortnight to prepare for their Kent County Plate quarter-final at home to Glebe on Sunday January 21 (kick-off 2pm).