Times of Tunbridge Wells 19th August 2015

All the news that matters Local, National and InternationalWednesday, August 19, 2015

OF TUNBRIDGE WELLS

INSIDE

BUSINESSFrom being homeless torunning his own company

PAGE 4

SUPERHEROESTimes man catches up with the towns caped crusader

PAGE 7

CRIMEDoctor accused over teachersdeath spotted in Pakistan

PAGE 3

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THEFORWARD THINKING MERCEDES

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PAGES 54-55

FOOD Pembury farmer enjoysthe fruits of his labour

Your FREE

Newspaper

READY TO ROCK AT POOFEST Pages 68-69

JOINING FORCES

TO BOOST BUSINESS Pages 16-17

TO BOOST BUSINESS

FORWARD THINKING MERCEDES

By Adam Wells

HUNDREDS of people sent a message to Gat-wick over devastating flight paths days after the airport was banned from running advertisements which misled the public.

More than 900 people, led by campaign group Gatwick Obviously Not (GON), gathered in Penshurst to spell out their opposition to the creation of aerial superhighways by narrow-ing routes approaching and leaving the airport across west Kent and East Sussex.

The mass protest, which included a large contingent from Tunbridge Wells, came days after the Advertising Standards Author-ity (ASA) upheld complaints made about adverts used in the airports campaign to try and win approval for expansion. The ASA banned them from further use.

The complaints, made by members of GON and other campaign groups, challenged the airports claim that 320,000 additional peo-ple would be affected by noise from a new runway at Heathrow, compared to 18,000 at Gatwick. Campaigners say the Heathrow fig-ure is 56,500.

ComplaintsSally Pavey, chairman of CAGNE (Commu-

nities Against Gatwick Noise and Emissions) said the group believed Gatwick should have been fined and that CAGNE is waiting for rul-ings on other complaints.

Crowborough resident Dominic Nevill,

spokesman for ESCCAN (East Sus-sex Communities for the Control of Air Noise) said: Once again it shows how Gatwicks words do not match reality. The consistency with which they make erroneous claims is incredible. Its what weve come to accept.

Wed like to see them being more transparent, to appreciate the amount of damage theyve caused and to realise that now is the time

to try and repair that damage. They should stop thinking about

their profits and start thinking about the people living beneath their flight paths.

GON chairman Martin Barraud added: This is an extraordinary moment in the debate. Let no one underestimate the significance of this ruling.

Airport adverts bannedfor misleading public for misleading public Ruling comes days before 900 stage protest

SPELLING IT OUT Protesters from west Kent and East Sussex sat on straw bales laid out in a Penshurst fi eld

Turn to page 3

FORWARD THINKING MERCEDES

SLK Page 33

JOINING FORCES

TO BOOST BUSINESS Pages 16-17

FREENewspaper

READY TO ROCK AT POOFEST Pages 68-69

CORBYN: TIME TODECIDE Page 20

Businesses rush to sign up for super-fast broadband grant

Wednesday 19th August 2015

2 NEWS

WEATHERTHE WEEK IN VIEW

DARRYL Lawsons story is compelling and one worthy of our admiration.

In this weeks Times, he told how he has gone from being a homeless single parent four years ago to harbouring ambitions of running franchises of his mobile barber business.

It is such a good idea, albeit old as the hills.Mobile libraries and shops have been around

for decades, serving outlying areas where isolated folk have little access to mainstream services taken for granted by others.

Darryl became aware that the barber market is saturated in the town.

So, rather than try to compete, he took his skills on the road.

He avoids many of the fi xed costs of running a business from a high street premises rates, rent, utility bills and staff wages.

Its a wonder everyone isnt doing it, although Darryl, who is 29, had to persevere in the early days when he had very few customers.

Darryls back story makes his present circumstances all the more remarkable.

He found himself looking after a new-born child in emergency sheltered accommodation in south London after a disagreement with his family.

It goes to show just how easily and quickly life can change and end up in terrible diffi culties as a result.

Darryl is one of three hopefuls we have featured in the Times this week who have applied for a share of 5 million funding from the Times of Tunbridge Wells Investment Fund.

The investment fund is available to start-ups or companies aiming to expand. Firms can be based in Kent, Sussex and Surrey.

The closing date is September 1 and an initial application can be found at: www.timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk/investment-fund/

The form is simple to complete and there is no need at this stage to supply detailed business

plans, merely submit an expression of interest and a summary of why your fi rm needs funding.

WHY not pop along to see us at the Ismail coffee and tea shop today (Wednesday) and every Wednesday until the end of September. A journalist and member of our commercial team will be on hand to have a chat, share a cup of coffee, give advice, place an advert or listen to your news.

Our pop up newsroom is part of our commitment to the community we serve.

We are grateful to Ismails Raschid Gibrail for agreeing to be part of this project and he promises a warm welcome to our guests.

The Times team will be there all day on Wednesdays from 9am until 5pm.

Youre very welcome. See you there.

Simon Finlay, editor

EDITORS COMMENT

SUNDAY 19OC

MONDAY 19OC

TUESDAY 19OC

THURSDAY 19OC

SATURDAY 22OC

FRIDAY 22OC

WEDNESDAY WARM BUT CLOUDY

AUGUST 19, 2015

TUNBRIDGE WELLS

Pollen: Moderate Visibility: Excellent Humidity: 90%Sunrise: 05.51am Wind: 10mph Sunset 20.13pm

20OC

Markerstudy Leisure is a trading name of One Media and Creative UK Limited registered in England and Wales under company number 5398960 with registered office at 45 Westerham Road, Sevenoaks, Kent TN13 2QB.

CLARIFICATIONS AND CORRECTIONSHERE at the Times of Tunbridge Wells we strive to deliver, fair, accurate and balanced reports. When we dont 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, 16 Lonsdale Gardens, Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN1 1NU, or email [email protected]

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CONTACTS

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GENERAL [email protected]

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IF YOU HAVE A STORY WE WOULDLIKE TO HEAR FROM YOU. Contact details above

16 Lonsdale Gardens, Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN1 1NU

Laughter would be bereaved if snobbery died.Peter Ustinov, British actor and writer

QUOTE UNQUOTE

Adam [email protected]

TUNBRIDGE Wells businesses have been racing to hook up to super-fast broadband, with the town registering more applications for government grants than any other part of West Kent.

The news follows a report by the Times highlighting the need for more connec-tivity in the town as businesses were not taking advantage of the Kent Connection Voucher scheme.

The grant allows small and medium sized enterprises up to 3,000 to get better broad-band, often through the use of fibre optics, the cost of which is otherwise prohibitive for many companies.

ConnectivityBorough councillor Jane March, cabinet

member with responsibility for tourism, leisure and economic development, urged local companies to act quickly if they want to take advantage of the grant.

She said: There has been very good take-up locally for the Kent Connection Voucher scheme.

The word is getting out about it and I would urge any business thinking of apply-ing not to delay as there is a limit to the amount of money available to fund the scheme.

Speaking to the Times last month, Mike Herman, the managing director of Inter-host, a Tunbridge Wells based company which is signed up to help roll out the scheme, extolled the benefits of faster broadband.

He said: Once companies use fibre optics, its like going from the bike to the car.

Business connectivity is just one part of a broader strategy by Kent County Council to upgrade broadband speeds across the county.

The Making Kent Quicker Project, funded by Kent County Council, government and BT has so far reached 120,000 homes and businesses in Kent, ensuring they are

receiving speeds of at least 24 mbps. The county council claims it is on track to

ensure 91 per cent of homes and businesses in Kent have access to these speeds and is planning on investing a further 11.2m to reach 95 per cent by the end of 2017.

Transformed KCC Cabinet Member for Education and

Health Reform Roger Gough, who launched the broadband scheme in 2013, said: Its great news that even more of Kent now has access to superfast broadband.

This project is making a real difference to thousands of homes and businesses who can now place orders with their Internet Service Providers for faster broadband ser-vices.

The lives of people, whether staying connected to loved ones using Facebook, children being able to do their school work or businesses being able to sell online, are being transformed by this project.

SUPER-fast broadband refers to connections of up to 300 mbps (megabyte per second) in the UK.

Its connections enable users to surf the internet, download music and video and stream television at speeds massively higher than most internet users.

While the current average UK broadband connection is around 12mbps (2014), super-fast broadband products deliver speeds of up to 300Mbps, through sophisticated fi bre-optic broadband networks.

These cables are made up of glass and plastic, which allows data to move much faster than along the copper pipes used by ADSL broadband.

BT also offers an up to 76Mb fi bre-optic service called BT Infi nity (you can get 300Mbps in some areas), and plans to make this available to millions more UK homes in years to come.

Source: uswitchbeing transformed by this project.

INTERHOSTS(Left to right)Gordon Cuthbertson, Steve Sugden, andMike Herman

LOCAL NEWS 3


NEWS IN BRIEF

From page 1

This isnt really a discussion about who will suffer more any suffering is too much, and we are working very closely with our friends fi ghting the fl ight path changes around Heathrow and City airport. Its about trust, and believing in Gatwick and its maths.

This extraordinary exaggeration illustrated Gatwicks low regard for

accuracy and that it is playing a very aggressive game in its desire for ever-increasing landing fees through increased throughput derived from narrowing the fl ight paths.

Gatwick not only needs to review altitudes, they need to rethink their attitude towards those on the ground.

An airport spokesman said: Gatwick makes no excuses for making the public aware of the huge

difference in the number of people who would be impacted by noise if Heathrow were to expand, compared to Gatwick.

Should Heathrow be expanded, 320,000 people will be affected by noise that are not affected today. For Gatwick, the number is 18,000. These fi gures are not disputed.

We disagree with the ASAs assessment of how these fi gures derived from Airports Commission

analysis and data were presented.A review of westerly approach

fl ight paths over Kent will take place and we are currently in the process of outlining key details including the plans and timeframes for this review.

The ASA found the advertisements breached rules on misleading advertising, qualifi cation and comparisons with identifi able competitors.

Flypast and wreath in memory of RAF heroes A HURRICANE and a Spitfire roared over Tunbridge Wells to mark the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Britain.

The flypast on Saturday was also in memory of Air Chief Marshall Sir Hugh Dowding, who lived in the town until his death in 1970 and was the head of RAF Fighter Command during the battle.

The spectacle was organised by Peter Vincent, of the Friends of Calverley Grounds, who realised the planes could fly over the town on their way to an airshow in Eastbourne.

A wreath was also laid at a memorial to Lord Dowding in Calverley Grounds, by Tunbridge Wells mayor David Elliott, in the presence of representatives from the Royal British Legion.

Guest of honour was Lady Odette Dowding, daughter-in-law of the commander-in-chief.

A minutes silence was observed.

Crime levels are down CRIME has dropped in Tunbridge Wells in the last year, official police figures show.

There were 4,552 recorded incidents in the borough from August 2014 to July 2015, compared to 4,619 for the previous 12 months.

The number of incidents of antisocial behavior recorded also dropped, from 2,310 to 2,297.

The trend was reflected across Kent, although overall crime was up in Maidstone, Medway, Sevenoaks and Tonbridge and Malling, while the latter also recorded an increase in antisocial behaviour.

Drunk driver is banned A DRIVER caught at more than twice the legal alcohol limit has been banned from the roads for two years.

Christine Eades, of The Green, Tunbridge Wells, was sentenced at Mid Kent Magistrates Court on August 6.

The 59-year-old was caught on London Road on June 30, when tests showed she had 94 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath, the legal limit being 35.

Mrs Eades was banned and ordered to pay a 150 courts charge, 85 costs and a 60 surcharge.

Clarifi cationIN THE August 5 Times, we ran a report on Amanda Lee-Stephens who was concerned about the speed at which traffic passed through her road.

In the article we referred to Mrs Lee-Stephens as a widow, but we are happy to clarify that although her partner had died, resulting in the loss of her daughters father, they had never been married.

Adam Hignett [email protected]

A DOCTOR facing a charge of manslaughter fol-lowing the death of a young Tunbridge Wells teacher has been found in Pakistan apparently overseeing the building of his new house.

According to a national paper, Dr Nadeem Azeez was seen wandering the streets of Lahore, although a warrant was issued for his arrest by Kent Police five months ago.

A Daily Mail reporter tracked the 53-year-old anaesthetist, who has been described in one Brit-ish court as a wanted man, to his family home on one of the citys most prestigious streets.

In the UK, Dr Azeez faces a charge of gross negligence manslaughter following the death of 30-year-old Frances Cappuccini in 2012.

The mother of two died at Tunbridge Wells Hos-pital within hours of giving birth to her second son after major complications resulted in her los-ing half her blood.

InquestLawyers representing her family argued during

an inquest that Mrs Cappuccinis death might have been avoided had doctors not told her to abandon her plans for an elective caesarean. The inquest was halted in February 2014 so the Crown

Prosecution Service could consider criminal charges, after which a charge of corporate man-slaughter was authorised against the Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust. Dr Azeezs for-mer colleague Dr Errol Cornish was also charged with gross negligence manslaughter.

Former neighbours of Dr Azeez claim he sold his house in Tunbridge Wells and returned to

Pakistan last September following the break-down of his marriage and a decline in his health.

He has been suspended from the General Medi-cal Council register of doctors.

Any prosecution of Dr Azeez will be complicated by the lack of an extradition treaty with Pakistan and, according to the Daily Mail, authorities in the country claim they are yet to receive a formal request to retain him.

But a spokesman for Kent Police said action was being taken to ensure Dr Azeez faces justice in this county.

He said: Kent Police is working with the Crown Prosecution Service and Home Office to facilitate Dr Nadeem Azeezs return to the UK.

A spokesman for the Home Office declined to confirm whether this meant an extradition request was in progress, adding: It is a long standing policy to neither confirm nor deny whether an extradition request has been made or received until there is an arrest.

Father of two Dr Azeez was described as a wanted man by prosecutors during previous proceedings at Sevenoaks Magistrates Court.

Mr Cornish appeared at the Old Bailey alone last Friday to hear the charge brought against him.

The trial for Mr Cornish and the Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust is due to take place on January 11 2016 at a central London court, the Old Bailey heard.

Doctor wanted on manslaughtercharge tracked down in Pakistan

TRAGIC Frances Cappuccini died shortly after childbirth

Football club can push on thanks to new 15k dealTUNBRIDGE Wells FC will push to build a squad capable of fi ghting for promotion, thanks to a three-year sponsorship deal.

The Wells ground was renamed The Culverden, sponsored by Salomons, in time for the clubs fi rst Southern Counties East League match last week.

The move was part of a 15,000 deal with Salomons events centre in Southborough and its associated businesses So magazines, the Times, One Warwick Park and the Next Dimension Gymnastics Academy.

TWFC chairman Clive Maynard said: The sponsorship gives us the opportunity to push

on and build a squad capable of fi ghting for promotion.

Our aim is to reach the Ryman League as soon as possible. The ground has been graded as being ready for the step up, and this new deal gives us great encouragement going into the new season.

Andrew Daniells, operations manager of Salomons, said: A strong, successful football club is at the heart of many communities and we are excited to be linking up with our local side.

We look forward to a long and successful partnership with TWFC.

PARTNERSHIPClive Maynard,

left, with Andrew Daniells at the

renamed stadium

4 INESTMENT FUND


From being homeless to running a business

AN AMBITIOUS businessman went from the depths of homelessness as a single parent to the brink of running a franchised company inside four years.

Darryl Lawsons incredible journey has taken him from an emergency housing shelter to a mobile barber shop voted one of the best in the country.

Now a familiar sight in car parks around Tun-bridge Wells, Mr Lawsons Barbers2U is a cus-tomised minibus in which customers can have a short back and sides while out and about.

It was realising how many barber shops there were in Tunbridge Wells that convinced him going mobile delivered more advantages than drawbacks.

Low overheads, flexibility and higher profits now puts Mr Lawson in a position where he wants to expand his business and franchise out more vehicles.

Yet in 2011 life was very, very different.Shortly after his daughter Yasmin was born,

his wife Kanittha was forced to return to her native Thailand.

The last thing the town needed was another hairdresser

Mr Lawson explained: She was over there, where she already had a four-year-old daughter, Gib, and who she was trying to get to the UK.

I was living with my parents when my daugh-ter was born but there was conflict. We did not see eye to eye and they did not want us living there any more.

With nowhere to go, and a new-born child, Mr Lawson spent the next four months at a home-less shelter in Croydon, where his parents lived.

He added: It was pretty rubbish really. Im not a snob but you see all sorts of people, but that

was the situation we found ourselves in so we just had to crack on with it.

Luckily, Mr Lawson had friends in his native south London who he could rely on to look after Yasmin while he worked.

A barber since he was 19, the then 24-year-old moved to Tunbridge Wells three years ago.

He soon realised the last thing the town needed was another high street hairdresser.

Mr Lawson said: Its definitely a saturated market. People keep saying I need to open a shop on Camden Road, but why?

The rents are high, I would pay rates and the number of people who come to me really moan about parking in town.

Voted one of the top 12 most creative barbers in the UK

Parking is not an issue for Mr Lawson, who bases himself outside the Pembury Tesco, the Camden Arms in Pembury and near Topps Tiles on the industrial estate.

Barbers2U has also become a favourite at wed-dings, where the groom can get a tidy-up, and a shoulder and neck massage from Mr Lawsons wife Kanittha.

Mr Lawson says business is booming so much, he is considering franchising his model.

But he admits there were drawbacks at the start.

He said: Shops have a degree of credibility to start with, but I have had to build mine up. It may be profitable now, but I made barely any-thing for the first six months.

Customer numbers really varied, to start with, I would have just one a day.

With little money for marketing, his credibil-ity and reputation had to rely on word of mouth from his increasing number of loyal customers.

It was given an extra boost in June when his business was voted one of the top 12 most cre-ative barbers in the UK by the British Barbers Association.

And since then, he has expanded in a differ-ent way. A customer, who Mr Lawson believes may be a former addict, mentioned the Crescent Road car park soup kitchen.

The barber visited and was taken aback by the number of clients, so much so, he now offers free cuts there.

He said: I felt like it would be nice to help because I was in that situation myself not too long ago. Being forced to live in a homeless shel-ter for a while meant it struck a chord.

I didnt actually realise the extent of home-lessness in the area until I went there.

Darryl Lawson is now seeking a share of the Times investment fundTHE investment would allow me to expand my business from one van to potentially a mobile barber van in every county in the UK. My plan is either to franchise the business or rent the vans out.

I am currently using Tescos car park two days per week and I have built a solid clientele based on quality customer service, convenient parking and excellent haircuts. I will look to set up a franchise much like the car washes do in supermarkets and use Tescos car parks as a location for potential franchisees.

With the rising costs of town centre parking and reduced footfall in high streets, I believe now is an ideal time to grow this business as many consumers are shopping in areas where it is more accessible and free to park.

The investment would be used to buy vans and convert them into barber shops on wheels and also for a social media marketing campaign.

Applications pour in for Times investment fundTHE clock is ticking for those wishing to take advantage of the 5 million Times of Tunbridge Wells Investment Fund. With a flurry of new applications arriving, Adam Hignett takes a look at some of the more recent hopefuls

ON THE UPDarryl Lawson is looking to expand his business

In todays business environment, Internet access and IT services are vital for survival.

Interhost is a highly respected, local provider of Internet and IT services with a 15 year proven track record of delivering professional services to local, national and global markets.

Interhost is an approved supplier of the Government Connection Voucher Scheme which is currently being offered in only 50 cities throughout the UK. The scheme is designed to meet the needs of the local area with the goal of helping local businesses grow and develop.

Superfast Broadband is essential in an ever demanding and data hungry world. Being the only provider of the Government Connection Voucher Scheme in Tunbridge Wells, Interhost are now offering local companies the opportunity to claim up to 3000 towards the setup costs of a Superfast Broadband connection, delivered on their 21st Century Next Generation Network.

Steve Sugden describes the service as follows: Interhost provides a Managed Internet Service for connecting your company to the Internet with a managed router and fi xed IP address. Entry level for our Managed Internet Service is Fibre To The Cabinet (FTTC). The most common service is a Fibre Lease Line which Interhost deliver with a broadband backup connection as standard; ensuring resilience and business continuity.

Interhost also provides a Managed Wide Area Network (WAN) solution using Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS). This is a mechanism in high-performance telecommunication networking, directing data between multi-site organisations; meaning that regardless of offi ce location, MPLS enables an organisation to function as if the staff are all in the same offi ce.

Interhost is giving businesses the opportunity to take advantage of this scheme and will help them set up a superfast broadband connection and manage this service across the organisation. Interhost can provide peace of mind for any business ensuring that it is at the forefront of available technologies within the marketplace, saving valuable time and money.

The voucher scheme runs on a fi rst come, fi rst served basis with the offer ending in March 2016.

For more information, to discuss your requirements further or for a FREE consultation contact Steve Sugden at Interhost on 01892 540428 or [email protected]

TECHNOLOGY

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INVESTMENT FUND 5


From being homeless to running a business

The initial application form can be found at www.timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk/invest-ment-fund/It may be completed and returned online or downloaded and sent to:

Times of Tunbridge Wells Investment Fund16 Lonsdale GardensTunbridge WellsKent TN1 1NUInitial applications must be received by September 1.

Applicants must be 18+ and operating within the

boundaries of Kent, Sussex or Surrey. Free assistance and advice will be given to those who subsequently

need to convert to a limited company in order

to receive funds. All applications and

business plans will be received and reviewed in strictest confi dence.

Applications will be short-listed and considered by a panel of principal investors or their represent-atives. The process will involve equity investment, although the investors reserve the right to use other fi nancial structures.

Funds will be released as the business demands and in line with an agreed structure.

There is no limit on the amount of funding to any individual business.

HOW TO APPLY FOR INVESTMENT FUNDS

Applicants must be 18+ and operating within the

boundaries of Kent,

limited company in order to receive funds.

All applications and

Applications pour in for Times investment fundEMMA Davies has applied for investment in order to expand her company, The Walled Nursery in Hawkhurst, and ensure it has a sus-tainable future.

The nursery, in the grounds of Saint Ronans School, has 13 Victorian glasshouses, making it the third highest concentration of glasshouses in Great Britain.

Mrs Davies is seeking 150,000 in order to build a caf and educational centre to meet cus-tomer demand but also help with the upkeep of the heritage buildings.

She said: We are in the grounds of a private school so have many customers of our future caf on our own doorstep.

At the moment we are turning customers away every single day, those that ask, where is the caf?

It is now expected for each garden centre or nursery to have restaurant facilities.

Her plans are to convert a late 19th century vinery, currently empty and in a state of disre-pair after storms in 2013 shattered glass, into a 50-seat caf.

The vision is to use modern materials to rebuild the vinery and turn it into a usable building for customers to enjoy by housing the new facilities.

We have a rare collection of Victorian glasshouses

Mrs Davies said: It will breathe life into an unusable building, creating a 21st century glasshouse to support our other Victorian glasshouses.

She forecasts the worst-case scenario for the caf will be its making just over 145,000 per year.

She said: This would enable us to easily recruit two full time members of staff to solely maintain the remaining wooden glasshouses we have and ensure the survival of these rare heritage buildings.

But ensuring they are well preserved is a time consuming and costly task.

Mrs Davies said: The reason there are so few large collections of Victorian glasshouses left in the country today is people just let them fall

down or have pulled them down.They are expensive to maintain and the list-

ing process has been, and still is, haphazard across the country to say the least.

But Mrs Davies is optimistic that if her appli-cation is successful, it will remove any doubts about the long term survival of her business.

We feel our business plan is the only way to make our site sustainable as we have such a large, rare collection of Victorian glasshouses to maintain.

We must be enterprising and I feel our plan will make us self-sufficient and a jewel in the crown for Tunbridge Wells borough.

CLOTHING designer Michael Wadsworth, whose company Wadsworth and Wells featured in last weeks Times, has become the latest entrepreneur to sign up for the investment fund.

Explaining his decision to apply for 120,000 in funding he needs to grow his business, Mr Wadsworth, who manufactures all his clothing in the UK, said: This investment will allow Wadsworth & Wells Ltd to manufacture both mens and womens wear at our own manufacturing unit, fund an initial launch marketing campaign and ongoing marketing of the brand as well as professional service fees.

With the strapline, The Made in Great Britain Clothing Company, Mr Wadsworth said in the long term he would be looking to capitalise on the talent pool available in the country.

He said: I want to harness and inspire the skills of designers and stylists from school leavers to university graduates to make use of the trait of individualism that Brits seem to be born with.

Cash sought for British clothing brand

HOPEFULEmma Davies, who runs

the Walled Nursery with her husband Monty

Archaeology group forges closer ties with the local community

6 LOCAL NEWS


Adam Hignett [email protected]

CROWDS of enthusiasts descended upon the site of the Iron Age forge after the Southborough and High Brooms Amateur Archaeology Society decided to share its discovery.

Although two days of digging were lost to bad weather, group coordinator Nigel Stapple described the open week, from August 8 to 16, as a great success, with further discoveries made.

He said: On Monday, we had up to 28 people on site.

We found some pot shards that have been pre-liminary dated to the early to middle Iron Age.

We also uncovered a series of intriguing post holes that will require further research. This could imply some kind of work/rest area but its too early to say yet.

Flint items from the early Bronze Age were also found at the Southborough site, reinforcing the groups belief it was inhabited as far back as 2,500BC.

The Times reported earlier this month that an Iron Age weapon-making furnace had been dis-

covered there.Mr Stapple said:

The Historical Metal-lurgy Society has been liaising with us and may well send a spe-cialist to look at the material coming from the furnace.

The aim is for the group to continue excavating until the

end of September, after which they will back-fill the site to preserve it over the winter.

During the following months, the group will review data and write an interim report on the findings.

Mr Stapple believes the enthusiasm shown by the people of Tunbridge Wells and Southbor-ough will ensure the group has a bright future and enable it to continue to uncover the myster-ies of the forge.

He said: The open week was a great success and it further increased our membership as well

as raising our local profile.Our community group is going from strength

to strength and we continue to seek local sup-port.

We are also looking for direct support from businesses and would be happy to receive dona-tions of equipment from local hardware suppli-ers as well as any financial donations.

We will be planning more week-long digs next summer. Anyone who wants to donate should email [email protected]

NEWS IN BRIEF

Familys tribute to beloved daddy CarlTHE family of the young father who died following a collision on the A26 at Southborough have paid tribute to a beloved son, brother and daddy.

Carl Radmore, 24, was killed on during the early hours of August 8 after being struck by a vehicle near the junction of the A26 and A21.

Mr Radmores family said: There is nothing we can say or do about what has happened to our beloved son, brother and daddy, Carl.

You had so much to live for. You have given us the greatest gift of all, your two beautiful daughters Sophia and Nyla. We will make sure they know their

daddy loves them very much and we will always have a part of you that will live on through them.

Thank you to everyone for all your thoughts and messages. It makes us realise something we never really knew and that is how many people knew and cared for Carl. We are sorry we have not replied to so many of you who have been in touch since we found out this tragic news.

We have got to be strong now Carl for your brother, sisters, daughters and parents. Our family all love you so much and we will make sure your cat Tweedles is well looked after we know how much you loved her.

We are sending all our love to you now Carl. You will be greatly missed, you have made such an impact on our lives.

Your photo could win ultimate Kent prize VISIT Kent is running a summer photograph competition designed to show off the Garden of England to the world. The organisation is challenging people to share their favourite photos and stories of the county online with the hashtag #YourKentStory.

The winner will be rewarded with an ultimate Kent experience including a two-night luxury stay at Hever Castle, a hot air balloon, a 150 shopping voucher and more.

Pictures, which can be selfies, landscapes or group shots and should be as imaginative as possible, should be submitted at www.visitkent.co.uk/win with an explanation as to why the image means so much.

The competition closes on October 4.

Drunk and disorderlyA DRIVER who was drunk and disorderly while police breathalysed him has been banned from the roads for 18 months.Christopher Thompson, of Rankine Road, Tunbridge Wells, pleaded guilty to drink-driving being drunk and disorderly and obstructing a constable in the execution of duty and was sentenced at West Kent Magistrates Court on August 4.

PAINSTAKINGGuests at the open week

TRAGICCarl Radmore

LOCAL NEWS 7


Richard [email protected]

THEY see him here... they see him there... they see our caped crusader everywhere. But who is he and whats it all about?

Those are the questions readers have been asking since last week when we told the tale of the mystery man, dressed similar to Batman, spotted speeding round our streets on a seg-way since May.

Ever eager to respond to reader requests, we set out to track down the man in the mask.

Early on Friday evening, our team spotted him coming into town along the A26. We set off in pursuit. He turned into the Esso garage near Nevill Terrace. We followed, hot on his tail.

Eventually, we asked him to pull over into the Union House car park. He agreed on condition we did not take a picture of his full face and I dont do selfies. So, the grilling began

Who are you then?Im not telling you.Ok who are you supposed to be?That would be giving away too much.Where do you live, Tunbridge Wells?I come from a planet far, far awayRemember that a planet far, far away.

Whats this all about?Its not about fighting street crime or vio-

lence. Its about something that will be really, really good for the town, something that will be good news particularly for the children. Some-thing children can join in and enjoy. This is not a PR stunt and its nothing commercial, its not about making money.

Youre doing this, then, to focus attention on a particular issue?

Yes and all will eventually be revealed. This is not something that has a beginning, a middle and an end, it will be ongoing and right now only two people in the world know what it is.

Is one of those your wife?My wife knows nothing about this, I repeat

my wife knows nothing about this.How often do you hit the streets?As much as possible.When will all be revealed?Soon. You seem nice people and I will con-

tact you at the newspaper (which he reads) when the moment is right.

And with that, our mystery man shook hands, powered up his segway and disappeared into the night leaving us to read the words on the back of his cloak

Who am I? Doesnt matter.Who I want to help does.So there, dear readers, you have it

So what have you gotto say, caped crusader?

FANCY a cuppa and a chat?Why not come and meet the Times team at

our new pop-up newsroom at the Ismail coffee and tea house each Wednesday until the end of September?

Starting this week, a journalist and a member of the commercial team will be available for a chat and a coffee from 9am to 5pm at the popular Mount Pleasant Road cafe.

Whether youve a story for us, an event to publicise or an advert to place, just pop along and well be delighted to meet you.

The businesss owner Raschid Gibrail said: Historically, coffee shops have been talking and networking centres for community and business.

It is refreshing that the Times is looking to re-establish, humanise and develop an opportunity for the general public to have a face-to-face relationship with the local newspaper.

We are delighted to have been invited to host Times pop-up newsroom.

The idea was the brainchild of Mr Raschid and Times commercial director Nick Moore.

Mr Moore said: Ismail is a fantastic coffee shop and a place where friends go to meet, so what better place to launch a pop-up newsroom than here?

Everyone is welcome, even if it is just to pop in to say hello.

Come to the Times new pop-up newsroom

COLLARED Times newsman Richard Moore pins down mystery man

Ismail Coffee & Tea is at 95-97 Mount Pleasant Road, Tunbridge Wells. The Times team will be there from 9am until 5pm.

8 LOCAL NEWS


NEIL Arnold of Kent Big Cat Research writes: Sceptics argue that all the sightings are just fat domestic cats, dogs etc, but I've received reports from zoo keepers, police, scientists even if we siphon out the occasional misidentification or hoax there are so many reports across the UK every year.

I've been interested in the subject since I was nine years old, back in the early 1980s and was astounded as to the lack of real interest because people often expect evidence to turn up even though many people do not know what to actually look for in the wilds.

One solitary male leopard can have a territory of several hundred square miles, he will hunt mostly at night keeping to dense woods, forest, marsh, and there is plenty of that in the UK; especially in Kent with places like Bedgebury Forest, Challock Forest, Ashdown Forest all areas where cats have been seen.

People mock the evidence but without realising that even with today's technology and so-called decent mobile phones, a large cat is not going to pose for a photograph.

Sightings last a few seconds, if that a cat will keep its distance most sightings I receive concern people driving at dusk, through the night on lonely back roads (although cats will come into towns).

A large cat can lay up at night on a golf course, in a graveyard they are the most elusive animals on earth; hence the fact we do NOT have lions and tigers they would

stick out like a sore thumb. Unless serious research with zoologists, animal trackers etc takes place these cats will remain folklore and yet there is evidence to suggest they do exist.

A leopard or puma will mostly feed on prey such as rabbits and pheasants, but there have been numerous kills on sheep, deer, foxes, domestic cats and also dogs and badgers. Large cats kill in a distinctive manner, with a throat bite, and an animal such a leopard will, on occasion, take prey up into a tree. Foxes scavenge, dogs rip and tear but a cat will consume prey leaving a tidy kill.

Other evidence is scat which has been found, a whisker, paw-prints which are completely unlike a dog. The bodies of smaller cats have also been found, jungle cat and ocelot have been shot dead or run over in the UK.

WHAT THE EXPERT SAYS

On the trail of Kents big cat populationbig cat populationFOR decades there have been sightings of large cat-like creatures living wild in the Kent countryside. Today, we bring evidence there are viable, breeding populations right on our doorstep

Simon [email protected]

PIERCING headlit stares. A black streak across country roads in the dead of night. A scurry of tail and sleek fur streaking into bushes.

Sometimes it is a rustle in the undergrowth, unusual droppings or a stripped carcass which points to something out of the ordinary.

But these fleeting glimpses are clues to the rarely disturbed world of Kents big cat popu-lation; exotic animals with ancestors from far-flung places who have colonised and bred into viable populations out of plain sight.

But for these occasional fleeting glimpses, few of us would know these secretive animals existed at all.

According to the experts, big cats are roaming woodland around Tunbridge Wells and may have formed widespread breeding groups.

Snatched sightings of large cat-like animals,

such as panthers, leopards and pumas, have been on the increase for several decades but now authoratative figures in the field suggest they are on the increase.

Kent Big Cat Research (KBCR) has recorded several sightings in recent weeks of large sandy, black and mottled coloured animals in the Tun-bridge Wells area.

Most have been spotted in relatively remote areas in the early hours of the morning by motorists.

StareAccording to KBCRs Neil Arnold, a couple were

driving from Langton Green to Rusthall in late June when they saw a large cat-like creature with a caramel-coloured coat, small head and long thick tail (which) bounded across the road.

What appeared to be a puma was spotted in July in Knights Park around 1am.

According to the driver, the beast crossed the

road 30 yards ahead, turned to stare at the vehi-cle before slipping into bushes.

Last month, a jogger in Pembury saw a massive black cat bigger than a labrador standing on a path 150 yards ahead of him which disappeared into dense woodland when an approach was made. This may have been a black leopard.

On July 8 at 3.30am in Groombridge, a woman stopped to call her husband near Birchden Wood when an animal high in the back legs, with a short stubbed tail and mottled coat walked out

of bushes 20 feet from her car.It is believed to have been a lynx.The woman told Mr Arnold: I didnt even think

to try to get a photo on my phone. I was mesmer-ised by it but it was gone in seconds.

Also last month, a couple out walking near Ashurst noticed a gingery-coloured cat twice the size of a fox and thought to be a puma which seemed to be leaping.

Mr Arnold says there is little doubt that these animals are breeding.

LOCAL NEWS 9


RATHER like ghosts, until youve seen one you tend not to believe in their existence.

The same is true of big cats living wild in the Kent countryside. Some folk simply cannot countenance such a thing.

Yet one bright sunlit Sunday evening almost a year ago to the day, I was walking through woods that I know well, near my home.

As I walked along an established path, something behind me attracted my attention. I cant say what it was but looking round, I saw a black animal about the height of a smallish retriever dash into undergrowth.

I only caught its rear half. I thought it might have been a dog but I knew it wasnt. To be sure, I ran back the 30 or so yards to see if there was anyone out walking with a dog. There was neither. So I scouted around for any animal. Again there was nothing.

Now, I cannot be 100 per cent certain what I saw was a wild cat but perhaps it was actually a black leopard.

Over the years while out walking, I have come across unusual droppings, the odd clump of hair I took for badger. Once there was evidence of something having tried to drag a sheeps carcass over a barbed wire-topped fence.

The local shepherd was in little doubt what was causing these occasional deaths and vowed to shoot any miscreant animal daft enough to mess with livestock.

Kent Big Cat Researchs Neil Arnold receives a fair amount of stick from the internets band of learned scholars for his efforts. There are many sceptics out there and quite a few who try to hoax researchers such as Mr Arnold. But he should carry on his work.

It is important to remember this these secretive animals will do humans no direct harm. If anything, the tiny glimpse I got of one big cat last August was a lot more than it wanted me to see of it.

Simon Finlay

COMMENT

He told the Times: Many claim that such cats cannot be breeding and yet they must be; people have reported seeing cats with young young stay with the female up until around 18 months and then make their own way in life finding their own territory.

Kent wildlife expert Theo McCausland is unsur-prised by the sightings Mr Arnold regularly docu-ments from members of the public.

Theyre definitely out there, he said, There is just too much evidence to suggest otherwise. The chances are that some sightings are the same animal even though they are seen far apart. We have to remember that most of these cats have huge territories.

Many animals are descended from species kept as private pets decades ago.

CagedWhen legislation relating to the owning of

exotic wild animals was passed in the 1970s, many owners simply set them free.

Mr Arnold said: In 1976, the Dangerous Wild Animals Act was introduced which meant that owners of such exotic pets would have to pay out for licences.

It has often been suggested that over that time and into the 1980s people were letting their ani-mals go into the wild; many owners not wanting their pets destroyed or caged in zoos.

Even so, it would still mean that such animals would have to find a mate in the wild large cats only live for about 13 years.

And leopards wouldnt breed with pumas and the like, so there must have been viable populations oth-erwise sightings would have ceased long ago.

Most experts agree that these animals pose little or no risk to humans as they are incredibly secre-tive and will shy from any human contact.

They will prey on wild deer, small mammals and sometimes on sheep, although attacks on the latter are less likely, some have suggested, as it brings big cats on to open farmland.

One Kentish shepherd told us: Never seen one myself but Ive lost a couple of ewes over the years.

Nodding to the 12 bore double-barrelled shot-gun in the back of the Land Rover, the farmer added: Wouldnt last long if I caught up with him.

SPOTTEDAn image captured of what is believed to be a large wild cat

and, inset, the carcass of a deer stripped of its fl esh

The fight for countryside starts again as government grants more fracking licences

Traffi c warden hands out parking ticket to a bus at a bus stop

Hardest day remembered with Spitfi re fl ight

10 NATIONAL NEWS


A SEVENOAKS traffi c warden slapped a parking ticket on a bus for stopping in a bus stop.

The service had a scheduled ten-minute break in Edenbridge High Street, and the driver nipped into a bakery for a snack as he waited.

But when he returned minutes later, he found a warden issuing a 70 ticket.

Now bus company Go Coach is battling with the council to waive the fi ne, which has risen to 105 as they missed the deadline to pay it.

Sevenoaks District Council said it is illegal to leave a bus unattended in a bus stop.

A spokesman said: Bus stops should only be used for picking up and

dropping off passengers.A fi rst-stage appeal was refused, and

in our response we gave details of the formal appeals process, but we have not had any further response from Go Coach.

We are still awaiting payment and will be taking the necessary steps to ensure this is recovered.

But Go Coach director Matthew Arnold said: The bus has a scheduled ten-minute hesitation at this location unfortunately there simply isnt anywhere else to wait.

The alternative was for the bus to drive around Edenbridge for ten minutes but that isnt particularly environmentally friendly.

AIRCRAFT including 18 Spitfi res and six Hurricanes soared over the southeast to mark the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Britains hardest day.

The fl ypast yesterday marked August 18, 1940, when Biggin Hill and other military bases across Kent and the wider region came under fi erce attack by the Luftwaffe.

It became known as the hardest day as both sides recorded their greatest loss of aircraft during the battle.

BBC reporter Clark Ainsworth said: What a sight. Watching those iconic Second World War aircraft take to the skies above Biggin Hill was something to behold.

Spectators gasped as they then circled the airfi eld in formation.

The commemoration, staged from the former RAF airfi eld at Biggin Hill which is now a commercial airport, honoured the pilots, engineers, armourers, operations staff and ground crews who faced attack that day.

NEARLY 30 new areas, on the south coast, in northern England and the Midlands could face fracking after new licences were awarded for oil and gas exploration.

The 27 areas have been awarded to com-panies to explore for oil and gas as the government seeks to push forward with a shale industry in the UK.

A further 132 areas, including parts of the West Country, near Nottingham, Shef-field, Lincoln and Preston as well as the northeast and northwest, are set to be awarded subject to further environmen-tal assessment and conditions to protect wildlife and habitats.

Greenpeace said the announcement had fired the starting gun for the fight for the future of our countryside.

Spokeswoman Daisy Sands said: Hun-dreds of battles will spring up to defend our rural landscapes from the pollution, noise and drilling rigs that come with fracking.

The government is backing the destruc-tive fracking industry with tax breaks and

by stifling local opposition.It seems clear that the government

is responding to the vigorous lobbying from the fracking companies by ignoring both the economic and environmental evidence that clean, renewable energy is a far better bet for investment and the planet.

Energy minister Lord Bourne said: As part of our long-term plan to build a more resilient economy, create jobs and deliver secure energy supplies, we continue to back our onshore oil and gas industry and the safe development of shale gas in the UK.

This is why the OGA (Oil and Gas Authority) has moved quickly to confirm the winners of licence blocks which do not need further environmental assess-ment.

Keeping the lights on and powering the economy is not negotiable, and these industries will play a key part in providing secure and reliable energy to UK homes and businesses for decades to come.

NEWS IN BRIEF

Asda reaches lowest point with sales slump ASDA said it had hit its lowest point as it reported a deepening decline in sales with a like-for-like quarterly fall of 4.7 per cent, the worst in its 50-year history.

It was the fourth quarter in a row of falls for the supermarket, and comes after sales fell 3.9 per cent in the previous period already the worst in more than two decades.

The figures, for the 11 weeks to June 30, come as supermarkets are struggling to see off the threat from discounters Aldi and Lidl.

Chief executive Andy Clarke said: We have hit our nadir our lowest point. We have got positive green shoots as we move into Q3.

Revenge solves nothing VIOLENCE and revenge do not solve problems, mourners at the funeral for murder victim Kevin McGuigan have been told.

Hundreds of people packed into St Matthews Church, near the scene of last weeks shooting in the republican Short Strand area of east Belfast, for the requiem mass.

Father John Nevin said: Violence does not solve problems. Violence, war and revenge does not solve problems but creates more. The circle goes on.

Mr McGuigan, a 53-year-old father of nine, was gunned down in a suspected feud between former IRA members.

Church abuse apologySCOTLANDS most senior Catholic archbishop has apologised to survivors of abuse within the Scottish church following the publication of an independent review of its handling of allegations.

A commission led by the Very Rev Andrew McLellan called for the church to make an unmistakeable and unequivocal apology and said support for survivors of abuse must be its absolute priority.

Archbishop Philip Tartaglia, president of the Bishops Conference of Scotland, issued the apology in his homily during a mass at St Andrews Cathedral in Glasgow yesterday.

SAVE OUR COUNTRYSIDE Anti-fracking protestors in

Balcombe, West Sussex


THE Department for Work and Pensions has admitted using made-up stories from fictional claimants to demonstrate the positive impact of benefit sanctions.

A DWP leaflet featured one welfare claimant Sarah, stating she was really pleased a cut to her benefits had encouraged her to improve her CV.

But after a request made under the Freedom of Information Act by website Welfare Weekly, the DWP said they were not real claimants.

The stories were for illustrative purposes only, it added.

Under the sanctions system, introduced by work and pensions secretary Iain Duncan Smith, people can lose benefits for anything from a few weeks to three years if they fail to meet the gov-ernments requirements for jobseekers.

Stephen Timms, Labours acting shadow work and pensions secretary, said: You couldnt make it up but it seems Iain Duncan Smith can. The only way he can find backers for his sanctions regime is by inventing them.

The leaflet features the apparent stories of two sickness benefit claimants, Sarah and Zac.

Sarah, whose story features alongside a womans picture, says she failed to complete a CV despite agreeing to do so on her work action plan.

I didnt have a good reason for not doing it and I was told Id lose some of my payment. I decided to complete the CV and told my work coach, she says.

Sarah says her benefits were cut for two weeks, but now she is really pleased with how my CV looks and it will help her find a job.

According to Welfare Weekly, the response to its FoI request from the DWP said the images

used were stock photos and along with the names do not belong to real claimants.

A DWP spokesman said: The case studies were used for illustrative purposes to help peo-ple understand how the benefit system works. Theyre based on conversations our staff have had with claimants.

They have now been removed to avoid con-fusion.

Fake claimants used inbenefit sanction leaflets

Roma gypsies guilty of traffi cking womenA ROMA gypsy gang has been found guilty of trafficking vulnerable women to the UK to sell into sham marriages like pieces of meat.

The women, recruited in their native Slovakia, were sold to Indian and Pakistani men desperate to stay in Britain.

The money-making scheme was uncovered after one woman was raped by the Pakistani man she was sold to in March 2013, the Old Bailey heard.

While being treated in hospital, she told staff she was a victim of rape and trafficking, sparking a major police investigation.

Investigating officer Detective Constable Keith McCormack said: The victims were all vulnerable women, living in desperate conditions in Slovakia, whose circumstances ensured they could be easily exploited.

Once in the UK, their ID documents were taken from them and, not knowing any English, they were trapped.

The traffickers treated these women like pieces of meat. One of the victims was raped by the man she was sold to, and he was jailed.

Roman Romeo Ziga, 26, his brother Jozef Ziga, 28, and Igor Boros, 43, all Slovakian, were found guilty of recruiting four women in their home country, Scotland Yard said.

Ziga was found not guilty of involvement in trafficking and immigration offences in relation to one victim.

Three other gang members based in the UK Tibor Suchy, 29, his wife Viktoria Sanova, 29, and his brother-in-law Rene Sana, 31, of Gravesend were previously convicted of traffi cking one woman.

They pleaded guilty to trafficking the other three at the outset of this 13-week trial.

A date for sentencing has yet to be set.The Zigas, Boros and Suchy were remanded in

custody. Sana and Sanova were released on bail.

DWP admits made-up stories were illustrative

NATIONAL NEWS 11

UNDER FIREWork and pensions secretary Iain Duncan Smith and The fake leafl et


12 NATIONAL NEWS

A BRITISH humanitarian worker murdered by so-called Islamic State terrorists did not want the government to pay a ransom for his release, even if the other likely option was death, his brother said.

David Haines was killed in September last year, 18 months after he was captured on his maiden mission taking aid to Syrians.

His family was unable to speak publicly about the kidnap through fear he would be killed. The former RAF engineers name was made public when he appeared in a video showing the execu-tion of Steven Sotloff, an American journalist also seized by terrorists.

Mr Hainess brother Mike said the writing was on the wall when David, from Perth, was shown in that video brutal footage he has refused to watch, although he remains haunted by still images from it.

In an interview marking World Humanitarian Day today, and the one-year anniversary of the murder of American journalist James Foley by Syr-ian terrorists, Mike Haines recalled his brothers unwavering support of government policy not to negotiate with terrorists.

He said: David had always said that even if the government was ok with paying ransoms, if a sin-gle pound was paid for his release, he would have nothing to do with it.

We looked at every option, there was nothing we discounted. But putting money into the hands of terrorists only breeds more. It would make more British humanitarian workers targets.

David would have felt very torn being able to be free to see his daughters and wife again. But he would have been very unhappy a ransom had been paid.

The familys private hopes of seeing the 44-year-old former RAF engineer alive sank when footage surfaced of Mr Sotloffs execu-tion.

Mr Haines said: We knew there wasnt a good chance of David coming home. We knew the writ-ing was on the wall.

Media coverage only added to the familys grief.

Mr Haines said: Everywhere you went, the images of Davids face... those images in the deep, dark night when I cant sleep, they haunt me.

But that wasnt David. It was very difficult, impossible, to avoid seeing those images. I have not seen the video and wont any time soon.

Mr Haines, also a former RAF engineer, now vis-its schools, religious organisations and commu-nity groups, aiming to prevent young people from being indoctrinated by terrorists online.

His work includes the Fightback Starts Here campaign, launched this

summer with the backing of charities, inter-faith organisations and community

leaders.Mr Haines said: It is not an Islamic question, it

is multi-faith and multicultural.We all want to live in peace, we want to bring

our children up in peace and have the freedom to practise our religion. If we let terrorist groups have their way, that will not happen.

Murdered aid worker didnot want a ransom paid

A NEW photographic display celebrating the Queens reign is to go on show at Buckingham Palace on the day she becomes the longest reigning monarch.The Royal Collection announced that a special outdoor exhibition will appear at the Queens London home, as well as at Windsor Castle and the Palace of Holyroodhouse, on Wednesday, September 9.

Long to Reign Over Us, which can be viewed by visitors to the palaces and castle, includes official portraits and images of the Queen from 1952 to the present, as well as previously seen informal photographs of the monarch and her family.

Queen goes on show

Beatles contract willfetch up to 100,000THE Beatles first recording contract is expected to fetch up to 150,000 US dollars (96,300) at auction in New York next month.

The deal was signed in Hamburg, Germany, where the band performed in the citys boisterous nightclub district.

The 1961 recording session produced the single My Bonnie, which was released only in Germany but led directly to the Beatles discovery at home, a contract with EMI and their first hit, Love Me Do.

Heritage Auctions will offer the six-page contract, the centrepiece of a collection spanning the Beatles entire career, on September 19.

It is being sold by the estate of Uwe Blaschke, a noted German Beatles historian who died in 2010.

Brother speaks out about terrorist killing

His work includes the Fightback

GRIEFMike Haines and, inset, murdered David Haines

BY ANNE CHAMBERS

The answer lies in the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975 and the courts interpretation of what it says. The Act allows children (and some others) who have not inherited as a result of intestacy (where there is no Will), have been left out of a Will, or have not been left as much as they need, to challenge the Will and claim financial provision. But where does it all end? Can your Will be ignored and, if so, to what extent?

The Courts judgment has made clearer the rules relating to what is reasonable

provision for adult children. The brief facts of that case were that mother and daughter fell out following the daughters teenage elopement with her boyfriend. Her mum then left the entire estate to various charities and excluded her daughter from her Will. To support this she even left a Letter of Wishes saying why she did this - although unfortunately the letter was inaccurately worded.

On the basis that she was not given a reasonable provision, and that she was on benefits, had no pension, needed to buy a home in which to live with her childhood sweetheart partner and five children and have a holiday, the daughter made a claim under the 1975 Act - and was awarded a whopping 164,000 out of her late mothers ca. 500,000 estate.

What this all means is that people can still disinherit their offspring but will have to give exceedingly good reasons why, while adult children left out of Wills may now find it easier to challenge Wills.

If you were the judge in that case would you interfere with the mothers wishes? Whatever your answer, you may be right. It remains to be seen whether the charities are advised to appeal the decision to the Supreme Court, where further costly litigation could diminish the estate.

The lesson from this case is not that there is no point in making a Will - far from it. If the mother had considered a realistic

gift, or if she had left a proper letter of wishes, the position may well have been different. Alternatively, she could have given away part of her estate during her lifetime - with the right tax-planning, of course - so she could be sure her money went to her chosen recipient.

If you think you are entitled to something from the Will of someone who has wrongly excluded you, it may well be worth considering challenging your case. On the other hand, if youre thinking of making or updating a Will, its now more important than ever to get professional advice and help. You could avoid years of worry and costly litigation, not to mention family arguments - enough to make you turn in your grave!

KEENE MARSLAND6 CLANRICARDE GARDENS, ROYAL TUNBRIDGE WELLS, KENT TN1 1PHWWW.KEENEMARSLAND.CO.UK

ADVERTISING FEATURE

WHATS A WILL WORTH IN THIS DAY AND AGE?Not a lot - or at least much less - if a recent Court of Appeal judgment is anything to go by. Worryingly, those who make a Will cannot, as things stand, rest in peace knowing their assets will pass to their chosen beneficiaries and to no one else. Why?

TIMES OF TUNBRIDGE WELLS READERS OFFERKeene Marsland Solicitors are experts in matters of Will Drafting & Disputes. If you are considering or reviewing your Will, or if you believe you may have a potential claim against a loved ones Estate, please contact us today. For the month of August only, we are offering a FREE Initial Consultation for the first 20 applicants. This is worth over 250 + vat per interview. Call us on 01892 526442, and make your appointment now. Thank you for your interest.

If you think you are entitled to something from the Will of

someone who has wrongly excluded you, it may well be worth considering challenging your case


NATIONAL NEWS 13

Rail season ticket price set to increase once again in 2016Fares have risen three times faster than wages

Burnham warning on Labour unityLABOUR leadership contender Andy Burnham has warned it would be harder to unite the party following the leadership contest if bad blood and negativity were allowed to take over.

Mr Burnham said he found reported calls from Yvette Coopers campaign to stand aside disappointing, adding he thought it quite strange as he was in second place.

Jeremy Corbyns two main rivals have been engaged in a bitter fi ght over who is best placed to stop the veteran left-wingers rise.

Supporters for Mr Burnham and Ms Cooper traded demands for each to clear the path for the other amid claims of sexism and desperation.

Mr Burnham told BBC Radio 4s Today programme: I praised the energy he (Mr Corbyn) has brought to the race, but then I set out yesterday the disagreements that I have with him on the economy, on Europe, on public services, that is exactly how a race like this should be conducted.

If we let this bad blood as you describe it, the negativity take over, this party will be harder to unite coming out of this contest and that is what I am focused on.

I want to win this contest and then unite this party.

Mr Burnham said he was not giving anybody any advice as to how they should cast their second vote.

He added: I think lectures from people at the top of the party as to how the membership should vote in this race, I dont think they go down particularly well.

COMMUTERS will face average train fare rises of one per cent in January but passegers could save money if services were run by the public sector, according to a report.

New year regulated fare increases are determined by the previous Julys Retail Price Index (RPI) infla-tion figure, which was announced yesterday as one per cent.

Rail minister Claire Perry said government plans would stop above-inflation increases, but ticket prices have risen nearly three times faster than wages in five years, a report has found.

A study by the Action for Rail campaign showed sea-son tickets and other regulated fares had increased by 25 per cent since 2010, while average pay went up nine per cent.

Government plans to cap rises in regulated fares will cost taxpayers about 700 million over five years, but bigger savings could be passed to passen-gers if train services were run by the public sector, said the report, adding that season tickets could be ten per cent cheaper by 2017.

David Sidebottom, director of transport user watch-dog Transport Focus, said: Fares are set to increase again, but passengers will be relieved fare rises in England are capped at inflation.

They will be pleased there is no flexibility for individual fares to go up by more than this. Both are things we have pushed for.

While fares are going up, for many people punc-

tuality is going down. The poor perfor-mance in the southeast in particular high-lights how Network Rail and operators need to deliver a more consistent service which passen-gers can rely on.

Edward Welsh, spokesman for the Rail Delivery Group, representing train operators and Network Rail, said: The railway is a vital public service, underpinning economic growth and attracting more passengers every year.

In one of the biggest investment programmes in history, government is spending billions on more trains, improved stations and better services.

We understand people dont like to pay more to travel to work. But more than 97p in every pound on fares goes on trains, staff and other running costs, helping sustain the gov-ernments rail investment programme.

Bruce Williamson, of campaign group Railfuture, said: The government is using

smoke and mirrors to disguise the fact the real cost of rail travel will again go up.

The Conservatives promised there would be a freeze on fares in Eng-land for the lifetime of the parlia-ment.

Peoples incomes are virtually stagnant, but because the govern-ment insists on using RPI instead

of CPI (Consumer Price Index, announced as 0.1 per cent this

week), rail fares will go up by about one per cent.

Rail minister Claire Perry said: As part of our long-term economic plan, we are investing record amounts in transforming the rail network, and fares have an important role to play in delivering this.

I know many families are concerned about the cost of rail travel, which is why we are putting an end to above-inflation fare increases.

This means that for first time since 2002, wages are increasing by more than fares, which is real progress.

INCREASECommuters will pay more from January,

inset, Claire Perry


14 INTERNATIONAL NEWS

A BRITISH national was among those killed in an attack on a shrine in Thailand. She has been named as London law student Vivian Chan aged 19 thought to have been traveling with a friend who was also killed in the blast.

At least 20 people died and more than 100 injured were injured by the bomb in Bangkok on Monday, including the Briton.

Mr Hammond said in a statement: The loss of life and injury in Bangkok is horrific and I condemn this callous act of violence against completely innocent and unsuspecting members of the public.

I can confirm that one British national lost her life in the attack. British Embassy staff in Thailand are assisting her family at this very difficult time.

My thoughts are with the victims, their families and loved ones, and with the Thai people.

Thai PM Prayuth Chan-ocha said the perpetrators had not been identified, but police have released images of one suspect seen on security footage.

In a separate attack in Bangkok, an explosive device was thrown from a pier but caused no inju-ries on Tuesday.

The device, which may have been a grenade, landed in water where it exploded harmlessly.

If it did not fall in the water then it certainly would have caused injuries, the districts deputy police chief Col Natakit Siriwongtawan told Reu-ters news agency.

Mondays bomb targeted the Erawan Hindu shrine, a major tourist attraction.

Mr Prayuth said: This is the worst incident that has ever happened in Thailand.

There have been minor bombs or just noise, but

this time they aim for innocent lives. They want to destroy our economy, our tourism.

Authorities have released images of one young man who appears to walk into the shrine wearing a black backpack, but is then seen walking without it.

Defence minister Prawit Wongsuwan said investi-gators are getting closer to determining who set off the devastating attack.

He said: We didnt expect this to happen in a crowded area.

They aim to destroy tourism, economy, our coun-try. But during crisis, we can build unity.

China reported three of its citizens dead, and police said a Filipino was also among those killed.

British nationals in Thailand have been advised to check the Foreign Office website for the latest travel advice.

Briton among deadin Thai shrine bomb

THE Greek government has slightly relaxed restrictions on bank transactions, allowing small amounts to be sent abroad for the first time in about two months.

The finance ministrys amendments, published in the government gazette, include allowing Greeks to send up to 500 euros (350) abroad per person per month, and allowing up to 8,000 euros (5,600) per quarter to be sent to students studying abroad to cover accommodation costs.

Greeks can now also open new bank accounts that will have no withdrawal rights, in order to repay loans, social security contributions or tax debts.

Greek bank changes

More than 300,000 in volcano threat

AFTERMATH Authorities investigate the scene of the explosionand, inset, police have released security footage of a person spotted near the shrine

UP TO 325,000 people live in areas that could be threatened by fast-moving mud and rock fl ows if there is a major eruption of the Cotopaxi volcano in Ecuador, a senior offi cial said.

Maria del Pilar Cornejo briefed reporters as bad weather scrapped a planned fl yover of the snow-capped 19,600ft volcano, 30 miles south of the capital Quito.

Cotopaxi last rumbled on Saturday, shooting ash more than two miles high and spilling lava. Some 400 people were evacuated briefl y.

The last major eruption of the volcano, which started showing renewed activity in April, was in 1877.

President Rafael Correa decreed prior censorship on Saturday on the volcano, so all media are prohibited from publishing information about Cotopaxi that does not come from an offi cial source.


BUSINESS NEWS 15

NATIONWIDE has slammed the Governments new bank tax as it warned the changes will cost it an extra 300 million over the next five years.Britains biggest building society said the additional cost was equivalent to the capital used to fund 10 billion lending.

Nationwide chief executive Graham Beale said the changes to the existing bank levy and new eight per cent bank surcharge, which were announced by Chancellor George Osborne in last months summer budget, would help international banking groups, but have an unfair impact on building societies.

This represents a missed opportunity to support diversity by acknowledging that building societies are different to banks and to recognise the contribution Nationwide and other mutuals make by lending to the UK economy, and the housing market in particular, he said.

He said the government should have lowered the rate of the new surcharge for mutuals, or entirely scrapped the bank levy for the building society sector.

His comments came as Nationwide reported a 52 per cent hike in underlying pre-tax profits to 400 million for its first quarter. On a bottom line basis, pre-tax profits rose 50 per cent to 379 million.

Nationwide said its net mortgage lending gross lending, less repayments surged 23.5 per cent to 2.1 billion in the three months, meaning it accounted for more than a quarter of net lending in the UK.

The mutual is the latest in a line of lenders to hit out at the new banking surcharge, including

Yorkshire Building Society and challenger banks such as TSB.

The new eight per cent bank surcharge on lenders profits above 25 million will largely replace the existing bank levy by 2020.

From 2021 the levy, set much lower than its current rate, will only apply to UK rather than group balance sheets.

Mr Beale said Nationwide had been unfairly penalised with additional bank taxes since the recession.

LendingWe continued to lend through the financial

crisis we didnt take any losses or draw on taxpayers money, he said.

But he stressed the financial impact of the bank tax changes will not impact the groups ability to lend.

The group took a 27.5 per cent share of net UK lending in the three months to June 30 up from 24.2 per cent a year earlier.

Nationwides latest trading update showed the group was boosted by lower funding costs and a further decline in provisions for liabilities and charges.

But it cautioned the groups net interest margin was set to ease back over the rest of its financial year amid stiff competition in the mortgage market.

It also said its share of the current account market remained at 6.8 per cent, despite benefiting from the new current account switching service, gaining 7.4 per cent of switchers.

Nationwide: New tax is a missed opportunity SHOPPERS are enjoying their longest run

of falling food prices on record according to offi cial fi gures showing overall infl ation remaining near historic lows at 0.1 per cent.

The Consumer Price Index (CPI) measure of infl ation was slightly higher than expected in July, edging up from zero in June due to the weaker impact of summer clothing sales compared to last year. But CPI was held back by the ongoing supermarket price war, with a 2.7 per cent year-on-year fall in the price of food and non-alcoholic beverages. It was the 13th month in a row of decreases, the longest such stretch in data going back to 1989.

Richard Campbell, head of CPI at the Offi ce for National Statistics which releases the fi gures, said: The overall shopping basket bought by the country remains little changed in price compared with a year ago.

SAINSBURYS has fired the latest shots in the supermarket price war, extending its Asda brand match offer to online shoppers.

As of today, the store chain will guarantee that online customers will not pay more for their purchase of identical branded groceries than they would at Asda.com.

The supermarket giant said customers will receive confirmation that their online branded shopping was cheaper at Sainsburys.

If not, they will receive money-off coupons worth up to 10 that can be redeemed against their next online shop.

Previously this was only available to those who shopped in store.

Falling food price asinfl ation stays low

Supermarket wars


16 BUSINESS SPECIAL

Adam [email protected]

TUNBRIDGE WELLS is a great place to start up a new company with its affluence, good schools, proximity to London and well-con-nected business community.

This is the opinion of two of the towns lead-ing businesswomen, Dr Becky MacGibbon of Appledore Marketing and Sue Redden of the Rare Skills Set, both of which decided to go it alone and set up companies and who are join-ing forces to help others this autumn with a series of workshops.

But they warned that while these positives mean there is a thriving start-up culture in the town, people cannot expect to make millions overnight.

FlexibilityMany of those who have started up in town,

predominantly woman, are the second source of income for the family, so there is less pres-sure, explained Mrs Redden, who left London nine years ago to start up her branding firm. But those planning on striking out without support need to hold their nerve, and realise becoming rich wont happen overnight.

Many people desire to be in control of their lives and believe running their own company will provide this. But they need to be honest about the freedom they will have. Flexibility comes over time.

Dr MacGibbon, who set up Appledore Market-ing two years ago, added: Time management

is really important. Those who are used to a nine till five job risk

either overdoing it or not doing enough, there has to be a balance.

Both stressed the importance of having a

long-term plan from the outset, with clearly defined goals and, in the case of having no supplementary income, the importance of hav-ing a contingency fund.

Dr MacGibbon said: People starting up

should have other measures of success other than money as to begin with, you may not make much.

She explained goals such as when the first employee will be hired are realistic and a good benchmark to strive for.

SupportiveGood market research into the feasibility of

an idea is also wise, as what may seem like a great idea to the budding entrepreneur may not always be the hit they desire.

Mrs Redden said: You need to formulate a plan for marketing and branding from the out-set and see what people think through some market research.

It is better to overcome the disappointment that other people may not like your product early then further down the road.

Another thing the pair agree is unique about Tunbridge Wells is the high number of net-working groups available for business people and while these are beneficial if used well, they can have pitfalls.

Mrs Redden said: If you are not careful, you could end up spending nearly all of your time networking, believing youre benefiting your business, and not getting on with the job of running it.

Networking groups tend to be more ben-eficial if your company deals in business to business products than business to consumer people need to distinguish between the two.

And dont forget some of them may be try-ing to sell you their services as well or are after free advice.

What makes our town a natural home for business start-ups?

JOINING FORCESFrom left, Becky MacGibbon and Sue

Redden are working together

There are a number of issues and pitfalls that one will

encounter even prior to throwing open the doors

(or what is more likely, launching ones

website). It is often a comfort to have a business

partner involved who will be sharing the burdens and will be terri c to have along to share the successes as well.

What one does need to consider is having some kind an agreement (whether a shareholders agreement or a partnership agreement) that sets out what expectations each has of the other, particularly where the company or LLP is a deadlocked (that is each partner has a 50% interest) and no

person has overall control.Sometimes over a relatively short

time, the aspirations of people change. This can have a signi cant effect on the operation of the business. The business relationship breaks down and the focus becomes each other to the detriment of the business. Having thought through the issues at the start of the enterprise will help to make certain that when things change, there is some mechanism to allow business continuation and preserve value.

This may not sound cheap at the beginning where budgets are often tight. But the cost later if things go wrong will be much higher. And that doesnt include the value cost in the enterprise as well. It is certainly worth giving this some thought and most legal advisors will be happy to give you some time on the telephone to discuss the alternatives to help your understanding of what might be required. Its a little like a pre-nuptial agreement. The good news is that they are far more enforceable.

ADVERTISING FEATURE

GOING INTO BUSINESS WITH A PARTNERFor people going into business for themselves, there are few more exciting and challenging things that they will undertake.

Alex Lee is a Partner at Buss Murton Law. www.bussmurton.co.uk or call 01892 510222

It is often a comfort to have a business partner

involved who will be sharing the burdens and will be terri c to have along to share the successes as well.

BUSINESS SPECIAL 17


What makes our town a natural home for business start-ups?DEBBIE Harris, who founded her company Chosen With Care a year ago, praised Tunbridge Wells as a place to launch a new business, saying the support networks in the town are invaluable for start-ups.

Her company, which specialises in helping self-funding families who get no government assistance fi nd good care homes, has also benefi ted from the relative affl uence of the town.

She believes roughly 60 per cent of those seeking nursing homes in Tunbridge Wells fall into the self-funding category.

I match my clients to the very best care homes. We rightly have such high standards here, people expect the highest quality care, she said.

Her motivation to start up her company came after she struggled to fi nd a suitable home for her aunt 12 years ago because of a lack of information available.

The experience led to her setting up a website called Best-Care-Home.co.uk, which she described as being like trip advisor for care homes.

After successfully selling the website, Mrs Harris who described herself as a stay at home mum decided it was time to endeavour on a new venture.

Although she only started he

Documents

Times of Tunbridge Wells 19th August 2015