LOCAL

The stor y of Fegans;

the Children’s Charit
y

Tunbridge Wells Borough Council magazine

tunbridgewells.gov.uk
Spring 2018

The stor y of Fegans;

y
the Children’s Charit

Exhibition
9 February – 9 June 2018
Tunbridge Wells Museum & Art Gallery
Civic Centre, Mount Pleasant Road
Royal Tunbridge Wells, TN1 1JN

inside:

Culture special
Bloom 2018
News, features
and loads more…
2
 Welcome to Local costs less than 9p
Spring Local! a copy to produce and
deliver to your home!
We've dedicated four pages in this edition to showcase
some of the live events that are happening now or
very soon around the borough – more to follow in the
summer edition. Whether you like theatre, film, music,
being indoors or outdoors – there's much for the
'culture hungry' on our doorstep. #lovingculture – what
do you think?
4
Cycling Strategy –
progress so far
There's lots of news and updates to read about from
competitions... to a new outside gym... to the good
causes benefiting from TW Lotto. Find out who is being
honoured on page 14, and find out what the Mayor has
been up to over the past year on page 13.
Always wondered whether a service you receive is
provided by the County Council or us? Find out on
page 10.
6 to7
Bloom 2018
Happy reading!
Lizzie Goodwin
Editor

We produce Local to keep you up-to-date about

Council services and news. If you have any
comments about the magazine, we’d love to
hear from you. Contact us by:
9 Lotto
making its mark
E-mail: Localemail@tunbridgewells.gov.uk
Phone: 01892 526121
Post: Lizzie Goodwin, Communications Manager,
Tunbridge Wells Borough Council, Town Hall,
Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN1 1RS
TWellsCouncil 10 Local or County
Services
TunbridgeWellsBoroughCouncil
To advertise, contact Space Marketing Ltd,
01892 677721
or e-mail antoinettem@spacemarketing.co.uk
15
New outdoor gym at
Advertising helps to keep our costs down. We do Showfields
not endorse the external products and services
advertised in Local.
The information in this publication was correct at the time of going to print. Tunbridge
Wells Borough Council cannot accept responsibility for any errors, omissions or
subsequent changes. 20 to 23
Culture Special

If you require Local magazine in large print or on audio please phone 01892 554273
3
TW1553
Implementing the Tunbridge Wells
Cycling Strategy – progress so far!
The Borough Cycling Strategy was adopted in 2016 and since
then partners have been working hard to progress key projects set
out in the strategy.
A21 between Pembury
and Tonbridge
Opened in September last
year, the new A21 section
consists of a 2.1 mile route
alongside the main road for
pedestrians, equestrians
and cyclists to travel safely
between Vauxhall Lane and
Longfield Road. Following
a bid from TWBC and
KCC, Highways England
has also provided funding
to extend this link at either
end to Tunbridge Wells
Hospital and to Tonbridge
station. This work is due for
completion in February 2018.
A26 Cycle Route
(between Royal
Tunbridge Wells
and Tonbridge town
centres)
Plans for the A26 cycle
route are also progressing.
4
the introduction of lower New cycle parking secured
speed limits, improved as part of the planning
surfacing and vegetation process includes:
clearance. Designs will
now be finalised ready for ●● Former cinema site – 30
implementation in 2018. spaces for public use
The scheme will be funded ●● New Cultural & Learning
using contributions from Hub – 24 spaces for public
developments along the
use on Monson Road
route.
In addition, the planned
Cycle Parking public realm improvements
We know that having on Mount Pleasant Road
convenient and secure between Church Road and
cycle parking is also key to Monson Road will include
encouraging more people cycle parking for public use,
to travel by bike. with the exact numbers to
be finalised as the design
KCC and TWBC seek progresses.
to ensure that any new
developments in the town Thanks to everyone for their
Consultation has been
are providing cycle parking support.
undertaken and Kent
County Council now has exactly where it is required.
approval and an agreed
budget to construct
Phase 1 of the scheme,
between the town centre
and Speldhurst Road.
Further phases will follow.
21st Century Way
(Royal Tunbridge
Wells town centre
to North Farm
Estate)
A consultation on the 21st
Century Way cycle route
was held towards the end
of 2017. The scheme will
improve the existing route
and use will be made
of the existing Public
Rights of Way network
to extend the route
further. Proposals for the
route include improved
signage and lighting,

OUR NEW LOCAL PLAN
I n a recent edition of LOCAL
we confirmed that, like many
other areas in the country,
we had over the previous 12
months been working on the
preparation of a new Local
Plan that would guide future
development in the borough.
A Local Plan is the basis for
the future development of
new homes, employment
and business sites as well
as community and leisure
services and essential
infrastructure, balanced
with safeguarding the most
important areas of countryside,
historic buildings and sensitive
landscapes. Planning
applications, whatever
their size and proposed
use, will be assessed and
decided upon against the
allocations and policies
contained in the new plan.
During 2016 and again in
the summer of 2017 we
carried out 'Calls for Sites'
which was an opportunity for
developers, landowners and
others to put forward sites
for consideration. Over 400
sites were submitted and
these have now been visited
and initially assessed. You
can see the boundaries of
the sites submitted on a map
available on our website,
although it is important to
stress that no decisions have
been made on the suitability
of the sites submitted for
future allocation. In addition,
we have continued to
Information about the new Local Plan, the Issues and
Options consultation statement and the evidence studies
that inform preparation of the plan are available on the
Council's website. If you wish to be informed of future
consultations please e-mail your contact details to
planning.policy@tunbridgewells.gov.uk
complete the remaining
studies to collect evidence
and information to inform our
draft plan.
Also in the summer of 2017,
having identified the issues
and challenges that the
borough may face over the
coming years, we carried out
a first round of consultation
and published the Tunbridge
Wells Local Plan Issues
and Options consultation
document. This included a
set of questions to help us
understand your thoughts on
how we might plan for the
future of the borough, and
also sought your views on
the issues and options we
had identified and whether
you thought these were
the correct ones. We have
now had the opportunity to
review and consider all the
representations we received
and in January published a
consultation statement.
We are continuing to make
good progress in preparing
a new plan with the intention
of publishing a draft Local
Plan document for further
consultation in early summer.
The draft plan will include a
vision and set of objectives,
a preferred development
strategy for the distribution of
new development within the
borough, site allocations for
various uses, and detailed
planning policies against
which planning applications
will be decided.
Love
Where
We Live
Awards 2018
A date for your diaries! Our
popular, annual community awards
will open for nominations in May.
There will be seven categories to choose from,
recognising those clubs, groups, businesses,
charities and individuals who help make our borough
a great place to live and work. Awards include Best
Group, Young Volunteer of the Year, and Sports
Achiever of the Year, so start thinking now about who
deserves your nomination this year!
The lucky finalists will be invited to attend the awards
ceremony in October at the Assembly Hall Theatre.
The online nomination form will be available on our
website in May, plus full details will be available in
the next edition of Local magazine.
PROBUS
CLUB
ROYAL TUNBRIDGE WELLS
The club welcomes new
members…
…it is run by and for retired men from the
business, military and academic worlds. It
meets on the third Thursday of each month at
the High Rocks Hotel in Tunbridge Wells for
lunch, followed by a talk from an expert in his
field. Other activities are organised, such as
monthly pub lunches and visits to places of
interest, where guests are invited.
Members are drawn from across the borough,
and a modest annual subscription applies.
Please contact:
Robert Bareham, Membership Sec.
Tel: 01892 532253
Email: robert.bareham@btopenworld.com
Web: royaltunbridgewellsprobusclub.co.uk
5
 Bloom 2018
'I love spring anywhere, but if I could choose I would always greet it in a garden.'
Ruth Stout
It is going to be a very busy
year for Royal Tunbridge
Wells in Bloom!
Following our success winning the large
town category in the South and South
East in Bloom competition 2017, we
now go forward this year into the large
town category in the National Britain
in Bloom competition. National judging
takes place between 30 July and 10
August and the town will still be judged
for South and South East in Bloom as
usual in early July.
You can help us to make our national
entry a success by taking part in our
local Bloom competition, volunteering
in our parks, participating in the Open
Gardens scheme, or sponsoring a
flower planter or a basket for the town.
6
Royal Tunbridge Wells
in Bloom Competition
Entries to the local Bloom
competition are open to
residents, businesses,
community groups and
schools across the town of
Royal Tunbridge Wells. The
2018 campaign will launch at
Calverley Precinct on Friday
13 and Saturday 14 April. Our
stall will be open from 10am
until 3pm. As usual, there will
be plants and seeds to give
away. We hope to see you
there!
Open Gardens with the
On the day, over 300 people visited
Hospice in the Weald the gardens and we raised a fantastic
grand total of £2,037.40 towards both
Last year Royal Tunbridge Wells in
projects. This year the Open Gardens
Bloom teamed up with the Hospice in
tour will take place on Sunday 17 June.
the Weald and helped to launch the first
For details of this event and how to take
ever Open Gardens scheme in Royal
part please visit our website, call us or
Tunbridge Wells.
go to hospiceintheweald.org.uk.
Bloom Sponsorship
Would you like to promote your
business and ‘green up the
town’ at the same time?
Please sponsor a flower
basket, planter or plants for
our parks and gardens. We
would like as many local
businesses as possible to
get involved. All sponsors will
be acknowledged on plaques
on the Royal Tunbridge Wells
in Bloom website and in all our
literature.
 COMPETITION
ENTRY FORM
Closing date: 30 June 2018
(1 June for allotments)
You will be sent a £5 voucher to spend at Coolings
Garden centres, our sponsor, when the competition
closes on 30 June.
Please tick which category you will be entering
(You can tick more than one category)

Best Basket Best Street and Flats

Planter/Tub/Container Best Front Garden

Best Community Best Front Patio/

Allotment/Garden Balcony

Best Wildlife Garden Best Café/Pub/Club

Best Business Ground Best Shop Front

Best Allotment Best Back Garden

Best Commercial
Basket/Planter

Entrant’s name______________________________
Address___________________________________

Join Our Campaign! __________________________________________

__________________________________________
Contact us:
Website: royaltunbridgewellsinbloom.org.uk __________________________________________

Email: competition@royaltunbridgewellsinbloom.org.uk Postcode___________

Phone: 01892 554031 E-mail_____________________________________
Phone number______________________________

royaltunbridgewellsinbloom.org.uk Leave at Gateway, 8 Grosvenor Road or post to:

Royal Tunbridge Wells in Bloom, Town Hall,
Royal Tunbridge Wells TN1 1RS

royaltunbridgewellsinbloom.org.uk
7

Thank you all so much for
embracing the Kent Knitted
Poppy Appeal in 2017.
We had an incredible response and
we’re now asking for your support again
in 2018 as we’re aiming to produce
even more spectacular displays this
year to mark the centenary of the end
of the First World War.
Tunbridge Wells to Maidstone
Bus Network Changes
Local councillors are
delighted to have
successfully negotiated the
restoration of bus services
between Tunbridge Wells
Paddock Wood/Five Oak
Green and Maidstone.
Services covered by the 6
and 6a will be improved and
extended in the area.
Responding to the concerns of local
bus users, Kent County Councillor
Sarah Hamilton and Tunbridge Wells
Borough Councillor Carol Mackonochie
challenged Arriva when local services
were changed by the company last
8
In 2017 thousands
of beautifully-
crafted poppies
were contributed by
residents across the
borough, as well as
from over the border
in East Sussex.
Groombridge WI got
their knitting needles
out, as did a number
of sheltered housing
scheme residents
in Wealden and
Orpington, a team of
very skilled knitters in
Lewes, family members
in Wales and a theatre
group in London. 185
knitted poppies made their way to us
from a knitting group in the south of
Spain, along with many, many more
individual and group donations.
The magnificent display that was
mounted on the wall of the Town Hall
leading up to Remembrance Sunday
was created from approximately 6,500
of your donated knitted and crocheted
year. Both have worked
very hard to negotiate a
restoration of the services.
Importantly, residents were
given the opportunity to voice
their concerns directly to new
Arriva boss, Oliver Monahan,
during constructive meetings.
Mrs Janet Fulcher played a
key role in liaising with local residents.
For those who could not attend, written
feedback to Arriva was encouraged
and acknowledged. Oliver confirmed to
Carol and Sarah this feedback did help
with decisions for the Tunbridge Wells
to Maidstone routes.
Other good news is that the Tunbridge
Wells season ticket zone includes rural
areas: Pembury, Matfield, Paddock
poppies; Hawkhurst, Cranbrook and
Goudhurst produced their own fabulous
displays, and we calculated that there
were approximately 10,000 knitted
and crocheted poppies contributed
overall which is a truly remarkable
achievement. It helped us to gain
much support for the Royal British
Legion’s annual poppy appeal, as well
as raising the profile of their 'Lest We
Forget' campaign. It has also set us the
challenge to produce something even
more impressive in 2018 – so let’s get
those balls of wool rolling now!
Get involved
Poppy collection boxes will be available
in various locations across the borough
from March onwards – look out for
them in your local library, Gateway,
Weald Information Centre and other
community buildings. We can also
arrange collection if you call us on
01892 554218 or send an e-mail to
info@tunbridgewells.gov.uk.
More information will be in the summer
edition.
Wood, Five Oak Green and East
Peckham. These all started on
11 March 2018.
It has been a long wait with a great
deal of work to persuade Arriva. The
councillors are very pleased and thank
Arriva for listening, working together
and making this decision. It is now
very important that the services are
used so that they remain viable.
TW Lotto is making its mark
TW Lotto has been up and running
since June 2017 and over 60 local
organisations have registered and
are starting to raise funds through the
lottery, with more than 500 supporters
buying a total of 1,100 weekly tickets,
and total prize winnings worth over
£3,000! We are currently on track to
raise around £35,000 for community
groups in the first year, and we
expect this figure to keep rising as the
lottery becomes more popular and
local organisations continue to sign
up their causes.
If you’d like to support one of the
causes already part of the lotto,
please go to twlotto.co.uk and buy a
ticket. It’s online, secure and easy to
register. Sixty pence in every £1 you
spend on a lotto ticket goes to local
good causes; that’s significantly more
than some of the national lotteries!
With our lottery, you can decide
where your money goes, and could
win up to £25,000!
There are hundreds of good causes
that are doing amazing things every
day to support our local communities.
If you know of some dear to your
heart, and who haven’t yet signed
up, why not suggest to them that
they join. It’s an additional way
of fundraising and they could be
reaping the rewards from their loyal
supporters in no time!

What TW Lotto means to three of

our local good causes...
'Last year Nourish
provided enough food for
41,526 meals to people in crisis in the
local area. Without food donations it
would cost us an average of £3 to provide
each meal. Raising £1,000 through the
TW Lotto means we could provide 333
meals for people at a time when they
need it most.'
'Tunbridge Wells Scouts
joined TW Lotto at the launch and
were uncertain as to what to expect.
A few months later and we are on target to raise
over £1,200 in the first year. A great result and
much better than ever expected. What does this
mean to us? Well we are using the money to cut
the cost of Scouting, passing the benefits back
to the 1000+ young people and their families,
reducing the local membership fees charged to
each individual Beaver, Cub,
Scout and Explorer by 25 per cent.'

'The support we have

had for The Big Cat Sanctuary through
the TW Lotto is fantastic; we will be able to
raise over £1,500 this year and that will help
us develop materials and content for our
Education programme. It will also enable us to
reach 100s of students in the Tunbridge Wells
area and help ensure a future for cats big and
small by educating generations to come about
our interdependence with animals and the
ecosystem of planet Earth.'

9
Local or County Services?
We know that understanding who does what and where to go to find the right service or advice
for your query or problem, can sometimes be baffling. From time to time residents can be unsure
about which authority provides which service… is it the Borough Council or the County Council?
We hope that the information provided here will be useful.

Tunbridge Wells Borough Council Kent County Council

W e take care of the essential, day to day services for people
who live in the borough of Tunbridge Wells. Those that require
local knowledge and are better run on a smaller scale by staff
that know the area and have specialist expertise. Our services
for residents include:
K ent County Council is a larger authority with
a bigger budget. They manage the services that
concern the whole of Kent that are better looked
after on a county rather than a local level. These
services include:

●● Abandoned ●● Electoral services ●● Housing needs, ●● Highways ●● Waste disposal

vehicles including homeless maintenance: (borough councils
●● Emergency
and the waiting list including roads; collect it, but the
●● Access for planning – such as
footpaths; verges County Council
disabled people flooding ●● Licensing – taxis,
and gritting. They are disposes of it safely)
●● Advice through the ●● Environmental entertainment,
also responsible for ●● Libraries
Gateway health – such as alcohol, gambling
pedestrian crossings,
dealing with noise and street trading ●● Schools
●● Affordable housing street lighting, and
complaints and ●● Local leisure scaffolding and skip ●● Major planning, such
●● Air quality and
pollution facilities such as permits as changes to main
monitoring
●● Farmers Market in leisure centres highways or county-
●● Allotments ●● Social care for elderly
Royal Tunbridge (managed through wide housing.
residents
●● Assets of Wells Fusion), the
community value Assembly Hall ●● Specialist care for
●● Fly-tipping Theatre and the vulnerable children
●● Benefits
●● Food health Museum & Art More information about Kent County Council
●● Business support Gallery
and safety, and services can be found on their website
and advice
hygiene ratings ●● Local planning and kent.gov.uk
●● Car parks for local food building control
(including season businesses
tickets) ●● Parks and play
●● Freedom of areas
●● Community
O
Information
grants to support ●● Regeneration of verall decisions about the
designated key ●● Graffiti the local area Borough Council’s priorities – what
agencies ●● Healthy living we will focus on and how money
●● Tourist Information
●● Cemetery & ●● Heritage and Centre will be spent – is made by the group
Crematorium conservation of locally-elected councillors who
●● Waste and represent the wards and parishes
●● Community safety (including buildings recycling across the borough.
and CCTV and trees) collections
●● Dog fouling ●● Home energy ●● Weald Information
●● Economic efficiency

Q What
Centre
development is the difference between
More information about our services can be found on our
a district council and a borough
council?
A None.
website tunbridgewells.gov.uk
If you need further help with a query, please call our Customer Borough councils are simply
Service team on 01892 526121 or visit the Gateway at 8 those that have been granted, at some
Grosvenor Road or the Weald Information Centre in Cranbrook. point in history, a Royal Charter to call
themselves a borough. They do the
same job as district councils.
1010
Wiltshire Farm qe:Layout 1 02/02/2018 11:06 Page 1

CRESCENT ROAD
CAR PARK REFURBISHMENT
STARTS SOON
Work is due to begin in Crescent Road car
park in March. The work will involve repairs,
resurfacing, redecoration and improved
lighting to give the car park a new lease of life
and make it a better experience for visitors to
Royal Tunbridge Wells.
Contractors will be working on selected
areas in the car park during the work and will
make every effort to minimise disruption. It’s
anticipated that the work will be completed in
October.
For more information see the Council website.
tunbridgewells.gov.uk

Brochure 6pp DL_Layout 1 22/08/2011 15:38 Page 2

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Penshurst Station Approach,
Do you have a few
hours to spare?
Have you ever
dreamed of
becoming a train
driver or being in
charge of a station?
The Spa Valley Railway in
Tunbridge Wells is looking
for enthusiastic volunteers to
help with the running of this
popular heritage railway.
If you have a few hours
spare contact the railway
to find out about the roles
available in the engine shed,
ticket office and catering
department.
'We also train volunteers
interested in becoming
station masters, guards and
of course train drivers!' said
General Manager Jonnie
Wesson, who himself started
as a volunteer when he was
just 13 years old!
To find out more visit
the volunteers' page at
spavalleyrailway.co.uk or
contact us on volunteering@
spavalleyrailway.co.uk or
phone 01892 537715.
MAKE SURE YOU ARE REGISTERED TO
VOTE AT THE LOCAL ELECTIONS
Local and Parish Council elections will take place on
Thursday 3 May 2018. Make sure you are registered to vote.
Local elections will take place for the following wards:
Benenden and Cranbrook Pembury
Brenchley and St James’
Horsmonden St John’s
Broadwater Sherwood
Culverden Southborough and High
Hawkhurst and Sandhurst Brooms
Paddock Wood East Southborough North
Paddock Wood West Speldhurst and Bidborough
Pantiles and St Mark’s
Park
Parish elections – Benenden
KEY DATES:
Tuesday 17 April final day to register to vote
Wednesday 18 April final day to register for
a postal or postal proxy vote
Wednesday 25 April final day to apply for
a proxy vote
Thursday 3 May Polling Day

THE COUNCIL'S AUDIT You can register to vote online at

The Council’s external auditors Grant Thornton gave
an unqualified opinion on the Council’s accounts
on 27 July 2017, in advance of the 30 September
2017 national deadline. Local Government accounts
are particularly complex and quite rightly subject to
extensive scrutiny. It is also reassuring for taxpayers
to know that the auditor commented that 'the Council
provided a good set of supporting working papers and
that the quality of the draft statements was good and
free of errors.'
www.gov.uk/register-to-vote
To vote by post or proxy please go to www.yourvote
matters.co.uk/how-do-i-vote and download the correct
form. You can then either email the completed form to us at
elections@tunbridgewells.gov.uk or post to Elections Team,
Tunbridge Wells Borough Council, Mount Pleasant Road,
Royal Tunbridge Wells TN1 1RS.
Please note: you may have recently completed a Household
Enquiry form from the annual canvass, notifying us who lives
at your address. This was not a registration form to enable
those people to vote. You must complete your own individual
invitation to register form to be able to vote in elections, if
you haven’t already done so.

12
 1
4 Councillor Mrs
6
7 8
1 End of the 'Tunbridge Wells
Day' Royal Marines Charity Run
outside the Town Hall.
2 Poppies with ‘Lest We Forget’
message on the side of the Town Hall,
Royal Tunbridge Wells.
3 Cutting the opening ribbon at
the Armed Forces Day at 579 Field
Squadron, Royal Tunbridge Wells.
2
3
5 Some highlights from
the busy and varied
life of the Mayor of
Tunbridge Wells,
Julia Soyke
4 With young baton dancers
and Paddock Wood Carnival
Queen at Paddock Wood Carnival.
5 Young winner of a running
10
race at High Weald Academy,
Cranbrook.
6 With a toy train riding youngster
at St George’s Summer Fair.
7 Meeting the Pickering Cancer Drop
In Centre Bear at Rusthall Fete.
8 Launch of Mayor’s Toy Appeal at
Royal Victoria Place Shopping Centre,
Royal Tunbridge Wells. With the young participants of
MUNGA outside the Town Hall, Royal
9 Visiting the Markerstudy Operation
Christmas Child Shoe Box Gift with MP Tunbridge Wells.
Greg Clark.
13
Honouring a hero of the
First World War
On Saturday 14 April Major Eric Stuart
Dougall VC MC will be honoured when
a paving stone in his memory is unveiled
at the War Memorial in Royal Tunbridge
Wells, the town where he was born and
grew up.
You are invited to come along at 2.30pm and watch this
short ceremony which will be performed by the Lord
Lieutenant of Kent Viscount Philip De L'Isle MBE.
The stone is one of a number of commemorative pavers
that have been laid in towns across the country since 2014
as part of the Government’s First World War Centenary
Campaign. This four-year campaign set out to honour the
Victoria Cross recipients with a paving stone laid in their
home towns.
Major Dougall died on 14 April 1918 just four days after
winning the VC – 'For most conspicuous bravery and skilful
leadership in the field when in command of his battery.' He
is buried in a cemetery just outside Westoutre, near Ypres.
The paving stone honours his bravery and provides a
lasting legacy within the local community.
During the short ceremony on 14 April 2018 the
Lord Lieutenant will be joined by guests including
representatives from areas of Major Dougall’s life including
soldiers from 16th Regiment Royal Artillery, CCF Cadets
from Tonbridge School where he was a pupil, and a Fellow
of Pembroke College, Cambridge where he studied.
Please note that if you are planning a visit to Royal
Tunbridge Wells on the day of the ceremony, Mount
Pleasant Road, where the War Memorial is situated, will be
closed for approximately 30 minutes while the ceremony
takes place, so allow extra time for your journey. You may
notice work being carried out to install the paving stone at
the War Memorial in advance of the ceremony.
Saturday 14 April, 2.30pm
Honouring Major Eric Stuart
Dougall VC MC
The War Memorial
Mount Pleasant Road
Royal Tunbridge Wells
14
Grants for Rural
Businesses
The West Kent LEADER grant is an excellent
funding opportunity for rural based businesses!
Farmers, growers, foresters, rural entrepreneurs and
communities can apply.
Emphasis is on providing jobs and growth, within the
rural economy. Eligibility is based on whether you, or
the project, are within the West Kent LEADER area.
Grants are now available from between £2,500 to
£100,000 (which can be flexible depending on the
circumstances). This is at a rate of 40 per cent of
eligible costs for commercial projects.
LEADER funding can go towards:
●●Improving competitiveness and financial self-
sufficiency of farming and forestry.
●●Boosting innovation and diversification of the land-
based sector.
●●Supporting start-up and scale-up businesses and
entrepreneurship in the rural sector.
●●Promoting the development of local heritage and
rural tourism businesses.
●●Supporting provision of additional rural services to
strengthen communities.
●●Ensuring best practice in land management and
promoting sustainable development.
The last programme, which ran until 2013, awarded
£1.25 million of grant funding to 62 projects in West
Kent.
Funding so far has supported a wide range of different
businesses, for example: a gin distillery, a tourist
attraction, a village community shop and various
farming projects.
Applications should be made by December 2018 to
be included in the next round of investment.
Please contact westkentleader@sevenoaks.gov.
uk or see the westkentleader.org.uk/ for more
information.
 Help local good causes,
and be in with a chance of
winning up to £25,000
Only £1 per ticket!
TWLotto.co.uk

New Outdoor Gym at Showfields

New outdoor fitness equipment
has been installed on the green
near Number One Community
Centre at Showfields, after
public consultation and funding
available from developer
contributions.
The gym includes a selection of
resistance and cardiovascular
equipment to help residents improve
both their strength and heart health:
– Two Wheel Spinner
– Inclusive Chest Press and
Pull-down Combo
– Skier
– Cycle The gym is free to use. The equipment demonstrates the multiple exercises
is suitable for people aged 14 years that can be performed on each item of
– Surfer and over and should not be used equipment. Written instruction signs
by children who are younger than on each item also provide clear and
– Double Leg Press 14. Each gym unit has a displayed concise guidance, ensuring each item
QR code, which can be scanned by of equipment is used properly.
– Body Twister users’ mobile devices. Video footage
15
 at Leeds Castle,
Bedgebury Pinetum,

C
ome and experience the
wide range of flexible and Crawley
healthcare services,
guest stays and wellbeing events
Acres of beautiful gardens and
woodland to enjoy
Rehabilitation following a hospital
stay or illness
Respite care
Assisted stay for those who would
like a holiday but need a little help
Outpatient services, counselling,
physiotherapy and hydrotherapy
Guest stays and therapeutic stays
Church and Spiritual Wellbeing events

Book at goape.co.uEk
10
Tea room, bookshop and gift shop
open everyday
Call Reservations 01892
to find out more
865988
quote LOCALB
www.burrswood.org.uk *Offer valid until 30.11.2018. Excludes Saturdays,

email: enquiries@burrswood.org.uk
Corporate Events & purchase of gift vouchers. Discount
code must be entered at time of booking. Only valid at PER PERSON*
The Dorothy Kerin Trust. Registered Charity No. 1095940 Leeds Castle, Bedgebury Pinetum & Crawley. Participation
& supervision ratios apply - please see our website.
Transforming lives through whole person care

Supporting Your Independence Across Tunbridge Wells

Profiling Beds Riser Recliners Stairlifts

Prices from

£699*
Mobility Scooters

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*Price excludes VAT and is FREE BROCHURE

available to those with a long Prices from Prices from
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£799* £569*
term medical condition and on
the completion of a declaration. your local showroom
2017
- 2018 Ask abouthome
our free ents
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12 Queensway 24 Castle Street 26 Grosvenor Road Kent, Sussex and Surrey those with a long term
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on the completion of a
RH10 1EJ TN34 3DY TN1 2AR View our full range online at declaration.

01293 577 977 01424 43 99 11 01892 544 933 www.clearwellmobility.co.uk

16
Groombridge farm shop qe:Layout 1 26/01/2018 11:10 Page 1

• WINNER •
“Best Farm Shop in Kent, 2017”

Open every day

01892 861753
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17
 Spring is a traditional time for planning and organising
weddings and all that goes into producing ‘the perfect
SAY ‘I DO’ TO day’. The exchanging of rings is a central part of the
wedding ceremony but do we consider the origins of the

FAIRTRADE GOLD gold we love to wear?

Whilst many people Fairtrade is working with

recognise the Fairtrade mark
on food products, very few
know about Fairtrade gold.
This year the Fairtrade Town
Group, working with the help
and support of the borough
council, organised an event
for Fairtrade Fortnight to raise
the profile of Fairtrade gold
and the difficult plight facing
THIS IS WHERE many gold miners.
I MINE GOLD. Having few other options for
NO FAIRTRADE. earning a living, 16 million
NO HARD HAT. men, women and children are
NO ROPES. pushed into small-scale gold
I NEVER KNOW IF mining by poverty. They work
I’LL GET OUT ALIVE. in hazardous conditions with
very little health and safety
COME ON IN. measures, using dangerous
FAIRTRADE FORNIGHT 2018
28 FEBRUARY – 11 MARCH
chemicals such as mercury
and cyanide to extract the
gold. This presents dangers
to the miners’ health, pollution
of the environment and
contamination of local water
supplies.
these miners to help them
improve working conditions,
eliminate child labour and
to change the way they
handle and use chemicals,
protecting not only their
own health but that of the
environment. Miners are paid
a fair price plus a premium
to invest in their families and
communities.
Gold is a luxury item bought
for special occasions, and
jewellery marked with the
Fairtrade Gold Stamp is
especially good because it
makes a real difference to the
lives of those who produce
it. Next time you consider
buying gold please ask for
Fairtrade Gold and together
we can change the world for
the better. Find out more at
ido.fairtrade.org.uk/

New Community Centre

for Paddock Wood
Paddock Wood Town Council is planning to build
a new community centre at the Memorial Field.
Residents were recently asked to give their views
on how the building should look and what they
wanted to see in it during an engagement event
held in Commercial Road.
Feedback has now been collated and passed
Going national!
to the architect. He will take the comments into The competition is hotting up this year as Royal Tunbridge
account in order to produce initial designs. Further Wells in Bloom has been invited to take part in the Large Town
consultation will take place once those designs category of the national RHS Britain in Bloom competition.
have been produced. There are around 1,600 communities that take part in the
The town council is urging all residents to attend regional campaigns and last year only 78 were selected to go
the public events and give their views. into the annual UK Finals so it’s a real honour to be chosen.

More details can be found on the town council’s Your support for the local campaign is going to be very
website: paddockwoodtc.kentparishes.gov.uk important for Royal Tunbridge Wells in Bloom in the national
competition.

18
 Dowding House
soon to open its
doors to people in
need of temporary
accommodation
Work by the Council to bring Dowding
House in Paddock Wood into use as
temporary housing is nearly complete.
Dowding House had been lying empty
until it was purchased by TWBC in
2017 for use as accommodation for
people who would otherwise have to be
housed outside the borough in bed and
breakfast. Work has been carried out to
convert the former housing association
property into 25 flats of different sizes,
the majority being one-bedroom and
studios.
The flats will be used by the Council
to fulfil its obligations to homeless
people in priority need. This includes
families with dependent children, the
elderly, people with significant mental
or physical health problems, victims
of domestic abuse, and young people
who have been in local authority care.
The Council’s Housing team is
seeing an increase in the number of
applications from people in a homeless
situation, but not all can be housed
because of the strict criteria that have
to be met. Whilst not all homeless
applicants qualify for emergency
accommodation, all residents of the
borough are entitled to receive advice
and assistance from the Council to
help them keep their homes, or to seek
alternative housing if this isn’t possible.
The sooner the Housing team is
contacted by someone with a housing
problem, the better, as homelessness
is more easily prevented at an early
stage.
Private landlord?
There are other ways that people can
be helped by the Housing team and
that includes assisting people into
private rented accommodation. That
assistance means financial support
with deposits and ongoing support from
housing staff to make sure the tenant is
coping and managing the tenancy.
To that end the Council is always
looking for private landlords who would
be willing to work with them. The
Housing team give support to both
landlord and tenant throughout the
tenancy and always have households
of all sizes in need of accommodation,
So, if you have a property for rent and
you would like to see it put to good
use, or if you just want a bit more
information about how we work with
landlords and tenants please contact
the Housing team on 01892 526121.

Tunbridge Wells
2018

2nd 4th
SAT SAT

January 13 27
February 10 24
March 10 24
April 14 28
May 12 26 Monopoly
The Farmers Market is held on the second
and fourth Saturdays of the month outside
June
July
9 23
14 28
Prize Draw
the Town Hall, Royal Tunbridge Wells Congratulations to E Perham and
TN1 1RS from 9am to 2pm
August 11 25 A Smith both of Tunbridge Wells who
September 8 22 were the two lucky winners of the
Monopoly Royal Tunbridge Wells
For more information please contact the October 13 27 prize draw in the last edition of Local.
Farmers Market Manager on
01892 554244 November 10 24
They collected their prizes just in
or e-mail December 8 22 time for Christmas.
farmersmarket@tunbridgewells.gov.uk
19
 LOVING CULTURE
THE TUNBRIDGE WELLS
INTERNATIONAL MUSIC
COMPETITION
This international string) and must display a
full understanding of different That evening, as part of the (the Finals) are £10 & £20
competition started musical languages, periods
in 1979 and became Mayfield Festival, two of the respectively.
and styles before world-class judges, Levon Chilingirian
part of the Mayfield judges. Our ticket agency, Ticket
and Ian Fountain will perform
Source, has a secure
Festival in 2016. It is This year’s judges are Ian a chamber concert at 7.30pm
payment facility for credit and
for outstanding young Fountain and Benjamin Frith in the School Chapel.
debit cards.
concert artists aged (piano); David Strange and On Sun 6 May, three
Levon Chilingirian (strings) qualifiers from each section Online Booking
16 to 27. and George Caird and Angela will play in Round 3 (the mayfieldfestival.co.uk
Recognised around the world Malsbury (wind). Finals) in the Concert Hall
as a prestigious and unique Hosted by Mayfield School, starting at 3pm and finishing Telephone Booking
event, it has played an Round 1 will start on Wed 2 around 6.30pm. The judges
important part in the careers 0333 666 3366 quoting
or Thurs 3 May to Fri 4 May will then decide the section Mayfield Festival.
of many of the world’s elite in the Concert Hall (piano), winners and the overall
musicians including piano the Gresham Hall (wind) and winner. For the hardy concert
virtuoso Paul Lewis and the Chapel (strings). enthusiast, there will be circa
Michael Cox (principal flute Students in full-time 37 hours of music from which
of the BBC Symphony Audiences will be free to education may apply for to choose over 16 playing
Orchestra). move between the venues. free tickets (Rounds 1 & 2) hours by some of tomorrow’s
otherwise a programme (£5) great performing stars.
Young musicians, who are On Sat 5 May, five qualifiers will gain entry to Round 1.
ready for a professional from each section will play in For full details of the
career, compete in three Round 2 (the semi-finals) in Ticket prices for Round 2 Competition, please see
sections (piano, wind and the Concert Hall. (semi-finals) and Round 3 twiyca.org

Deeply moved by the plight of destitute boys in London in the 1860s

The stor y of Fegans;
James Fegan set up a society to provide desperately needed housing
the Children’s Charit
y
and schooling. In 1870 he founded the charity that set up homes for
children which brought shelter, care and hope to children and young
people. His story and that of the children in his care became intertwined
with the history of child migration from Britain to the Empire in the late
1800s and early 1900s, with many boys being sent to live in Canada.
With this in mind, Fegan set up the Canada Training Farm in Goudhurst
to help prepare the boys for their future lives in Canada and to enable
them to learn new skills in agriculture. Today, the Fegans charity
supports child wellbeing within the family and community, through
The stor y of Fegans; counselling services, parent support, intervention and training.
y
the Children’s Charit
This exhibition tells Fegans’ 148 year-long story through the historic
archive held at the museum and heartrending individual narratives of
the Fegans' Old Boys. The archive contains correspondence of James
Fegan, photographs, letters, formal entry forms to the orphanages,
magazines and scrapbooks telling the story of the charity that provided
shelter and care to over 7,500 children.
Exhibition
9 February – 9 June 2018
Exhibition 9 February – 9 June 2018 at Tunbridge Wells Museum & Art Gallery
Tunbridge Wells Museum & Art Gallery
Civic Centre, Mount Pleasant Road
Royal Tunbridge Wells, TN1 1JN

20
Step into spring
with an exciting
new season at the
Assembly Hall
Theatre with a
range of drama,
music, comedy,
and shows for all
the family.
Starting off the spring
season is the classic novel,
Of Mice And Men as it is
given the stage treatment in
this thrilling new production.
From the producers of
Flashdance, Avenue Q
and American Idiot, John
Steinbeck’s iconic American
classic tells the story of
ranch workers George and
Lennie through the times
of the Great Depression,
who dream of owning their
own ranch. Starring Richard
Keightley (The Mousetrap)
and Matthew Wynn (Hamlet,
Almeida Theatre), Of Mice
And Men stops for one week
only on their UK tour.
Continuing with stage party and assists a white
adaptations of old rabbit with his time keeping,
favourites, Some Mothers all whilst trying to stay one
Do ‘Ave ‘Em also visits on step ahead of the Queen Of
their national tour in May. Hearts!
This TV comedy classic
Peppa Pig also arrives in
gave us the hapless Frank,
her biggest live adventure
his long-suffering wife Betty,
yet! Join Peppa as she gets
and a never-ending list of
ready to go on an exciting
disasters, with roller-skating
outdoor adventure, full of
escapades and runaway
games, laughter and live
chickens!
music. She’ll be joined by
Playing accident-prone her school friends, and
Frank Spencer is national not forgetting George and
comedy treasure Joe Daddy Pig.
Pasquale (New Faces, I’m
For music fans, double
A Celebrity Get Me Out Of
MOBO award-winning
Here!), with Susie Blake
saxophonist YolanDa
(Wicked, Blithe Spirit, The
Brown performs,
Victoria Wood Show) as Mrs
seamlessly blending jazz,
Fisher, this is a must-see for
soul and reggae following
all fans.
a number one debut album
Spring also sees some in the iTunes and Amazon
brilliant shows perfect for Jazz Charts.
all the family with the return
In their 27th year, the
of Wicked Productions and,
Counterfeit Stones return,
Alice In Wonderland. This
promising to deliver the best
new family musical stars the
‘Mock ‘n’ Roll’ show on the
hilarious Tom Swift as the
circuit, as well as Back To
White Rabbit and Ant Payne
Bacharach, a celebration
as the Mad Hatter. You are
of the magical music of Burt
invited to join Alice as she
Bacharach.
attends the Mad Hatter’s tea
COMING SOON
to the Assembly Hall Theatre
Of Mice And Men:
Mon 26 – Sat 31 March
Alice In Wonderland:
Fri 13 – Sun 15 April
YolanDa Brown: Sun 22 April
Peppa Pig’s Adventures:
Fri 11 – Sat 12 May
Illegal Eagles: Thu 24 May
Counterfeit Stones: Sat 26 May
Back To Bacharach: Sun 27 May
Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em:
Mon 28 May – Sat 2 Jun

I don't count, so I won't
be counted
Seven facts about the
Suffrage movement in
Tunbridge Wells
1 Early adopters. Campaigns
for votes for women started early in
Tunbridge Wells. The first women’s
suffrage petition of 1866 featured local
townswomen. The town’s first suffrage
meeting was held in 1873.
2 Activism at the Opera House.
In 1906, a meeting of the National
Union of Women Workers was held
at the Opera House on the subject
of ‘Franchise for Women’. In 1913,
suffragettes disrupted a Home Counties
Liberal Federation meeting, demanding
votes for women.
3 Tactics. Although the burning
down of the Nevill cricket pavilion by
suffragettes forced the issue into the
press, the much larger and non-militant
West Kent suffragist movement is often
overlooked.
4 On the march. In 1908 a number
of suffragists from Tunbridge Wells
attended a mass ‘votes for women’
demonstration in Hyde Park, and in
1913 a mass march or ‘pilgrimage’ from
22
LOVING CULTURE
seventeen cities converged
on London.
5 Campaign HQ.
The National Union
of Women’s Suffrage
Societies set up its local
campaign headquarters
at 18 Crescent Road (now
Matisse Hairdressers).
6 Resistance. In 1911, the Women’s
Freedom League encouraged members
to refuse to complete the census,
rallying under the slogan: ‘I don’t
count, so I won’t be counted’. Some
campaigners spoiled their papers
with ‘No persons here, only women!’
Local women supported the Women’s
Freedom League, and also the
Women’s Tax Resistance League.
7 Women pioneers. The first women
councillors of Tunbridge Wells were
Amelia Scott and Susan Powers,
elected in 1919. Amelia Scott had
established the National Union of
Women Workers in 1895, and served
as its secretary for thirty five years.
She was also a social worker, reformer
and campaigner for a local public
library.
Amelia Scott
 What's On at the Assembly Hall Theatre
March
Wed 14 – Thu 15 Mar Teletubbies Live
Fri 16 Mar Sweet Illusion
Fri 23 Mar G4 Live
Sat 24 Mar Magic Of Motown
Sun 25 Mar Go West
Mon 26 – Sat 31 Mar Of Mice And Men
April
Thu 5 Apr Rhythm of the Night
Sun 8 Apr RTWSO: Walton’s Cello
Concerto
Mon 9 Apr Rumours Of Fleetwood Mac
Wed 11 Apr Pop Divas
Sat 23 Jun Big Girls Don't Cry
Thu 12 Apr Walk Right Back
Fri 13 – Sun 15 Apr Alice In Wonderland
Wed 18 Apr Jason Manford: Muddle
Class
Thu 19 Apr Banff Mountain Film Festival
2018 World Tour
Fri 20 Apr Strictly Cool Dancing
Sun 22 Apr YolanDa Brown
May
Thu 3 – Fri 4 May Bill Bailey:
Larks In Transit
Sat 5 May The Simon & Garfunkel
Story
There will be fetes and festivals going on
all over the borough this summer, but
we thought we’d sneak one in early as
Hawkhurst have theirs just before the
summer magazine comes through your door.
This year the Hawkhurst Summer Festival will be held
on Saturday 16 June from 12 noon.
With stalls selling local produce and handmade gifts, locally-
sourced food, a beer tent, kids' entertainment, dog show and
live music all day, there really is something for everyone!
Check out their Facebook page for more info!
Thu 10 May Jools Holland and his
Rhythm & Blues Orchestra
Fri 11 – Sat 12 May Peppa Pig’s Adventure
Tue 15 – Sat 19 May TWODS - Grease
Sun 20 May Material Girl
Wed 23 May That’ll Be The Day
Thu 24 May Illegal Eagles
Sat 26 May The Counterfeit Stones
Sun 27 May Back to Bacharach
Mon 28 May – Sat Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em
2 Jun
June
Fri 1 – Sat 2 Jun Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em
Sun 3 Jun Daliso
Mon 4 Jun Les Musicals
Fri 15 Jun Ultimate Bublé
Fri 22 Jun Some Guys Have All
The Luck
Box Office 01892 530613
assemblyhalltheatre.co.uk
For accessibility information
please visit
SOME LIVE
EVENTS AROUND
THE BOROUGH
3 May: Jazz on the Pantiles
starts
7 May: FoGH Family Fete at
Grosvenor & Hilbert Park
12 May: Mugenkyo Taiko
Drummers, Queen’s Hall
Theatre, Cranbrook
8–10 June: Woodlands
Festival, Hawkhurst
15 June: Forest Live – Paloma
Faith at Bedgebury Pinetum
16 June: Forest Live – Paul
Heaton and Jacqui Abbott with
special guest Billy Bragg at
Bedgebury Pinetum
1 July: Tunbridge Wells Mela,
Calverley Grounds
6–8 July: Pub In The Park
with Tom Kerridge in Dunorlan
Park
22–23 Sept: Royal Tunbridge
Wells Food and Drink Festival,
Calverley Grounds
Look out too for Local
and Live taking place in
Calverley Grounds
–––––––––––––––––––––
There’s a whole range of
live events going on at both
Trinity and The Forum, Royal
Tunbridge Wells over the
coming months. Check out
their websites for theatre, film,
music and more…
www.trinitytheatre.net
www.twforum.co.uk
23
A Care Home Is
Not The Only
Option
Our premium live in care service
allows your loved one to remain
at home for longer

Here to help
whenever you
need
01732 373 024
tunbridgewells@bluebirdcare.co.uk
bluebirdcare.co.uk/tonbridge-tunbridgewells