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Articles by Michelle Wood
Celebrating Art, Music, and Technology
Every November in Central Texas, families gather to give thanks, and the Bee Cave Arts Foundation introduces yet another reason for gratitude – BuzzFest. This vibrant fusion of art, technology, and community has emerged as a transformative force in the local art scene. From its humble beginnings, BuzzFest has grown exponentially in stature and influence.
Momentum grows at ABC cinema site with unveiling of new hoardings
In a clear sign to the local community that progress is imminent, the Retirement Villages Group (RVG) – the developers of the former ABC cinema site – have roped in young artists from around the town to create a bright, new addition to the town landscape. The collage of drawings on hoardings around the former ABC Cinema site was unveiled in a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Wednesday, September 20.
BID launches campaign to attract more businesses to town
A new campaign has been launched by the Royal Tunbridge Wells Together Business Improvement District (BID) for central Tunbridge Wells to promote the town as a business destination. The campaign seeks to bring “long-term financial benefits” to the town beyond those currently experienced by BID members. The BID is a defined area of the town centre in which businesses contribute an annual levy based on the rateable value of their premises.
New SEND plan offers fresh hope
Plans to improve special educational needs and disability (SEND) services in Kent are finally moving ahead. The welcome announcement that Kent County Council (KCC) has filled 80 much-needed roles in its SEND services has come in conjunction with news that a new plan outlining changes necessary to support young people with SEND has been given the official go-ahead. The Accelerated Progress Plan (APP) has been agreed by the Department for Education (DfE) and NHS England.
GingerMay receives B Corp certification
GingerMay, a multi-award-winning agency for integrated B2B tech communications, has announced its B Corp Certification – an achievement that verifies its sustainable values. It joins a global community of businesses that prioritise social and environmental performance, accountability and transparency. GingerMay has made a legal commitment to uphold B Corp values, the highest standard a socially responsible business can attain.
Kent school buildings ‘safe’ but St James’ reopening stalled by a day
ALL Kent schools that were identified as a risk, owing to defective concrete, have now been inspected and deemed safe. No further schools have been identified as having a high and medium risk for Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC), Kent County Council (KCC) has confirmed. Despite this, children from St James’ CofE remained at home yesterday as the school awaited confirmation from the Department for Education that the school could safely reopen.
Benefit Offset National Demonstration (BOND) Special Topics Papers
The Benefit Offset National Demonstration (BOND) was mandated by Congress through the Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act of 1999. The objective was to test whether replacing the "cash cliff" for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) beneficiaries who earn above the Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA) level with a $1 for $2 benefit offset would encourage more beneficiaries to return to work and increase their earnings.
Another Tunbridge Wells school faces Ofsted scrutiny
Yet another local school has come under the scrutiny of Ofsted and its new inspection criteria, resulting in the downgrading of its status from ‘outstanding’ to ‘good’. In the first inspection of the school since 2016, The Skinners’ Kent Academy, which has just over 1,000 pupils on its roll, was given a ‘good’ rating across all five categories in Ofsted’s report. Until recently, schools with an ‘outstanding’ rating were exempt from routine inspection, but this rule was lifted in 2020.
What’s streaming now?
Michelle Wood looks at what to watch across the streaming platforms this week… The Full Monty Disney+, starring Robert Carlyle, Mark Addy and Hugo Speer The 1997 hit film The Full Monty stormed the Baftas and won an Oscar –and many hearts – with its tale of former Sheffield steelworkers who turn to stripping to escape their dire financial situation.
Become a star at the Assembly Hall Theatre
The local arts venue offers children two opportunities to take to the stage… Little Wolf Entertainment is looking for talented youngsters to appear in the Junior Ensemble alongside professional actors, in this year’s pantomime, Beauty and the Beast.
Best foot forward to keep free local legal service
EIGHTEEN teams of legal firms and organisations stepped out last Wednesday (June 28) to raise funds to help keep North West Kent Citizens’ Advice Bureau (NWKCAB) free to use and available. Scores of local staff and partners took part in the 10km-walk through Tunbridge Wells.
Strikes ‘will cut NHS wait lists’ say frustrated radiographers
The only way to reduce NHS waiting lists in Kent is to ballot for strike action, say radiography professionals in Kent and the South East. The Society of Radiographers (SoR), the trade union and professional body for diagnostic and therapeutic radiographers, has been balloting members for strike action in 27 NHS trusts in the South East, including hospitals in Maidstone, Medway, Tunbridge Wells and East Kent.
Animal lover borrows money to save sensory farm
By Grace Corcoran A local woman has saved a sensory farm of animals from being sold on, through sheer sacrifice, hard work and the continued involvement of the community. Located on Gill Wing Farm in Groombridge, Tunbridge Wells, Smiles for Miles spans 3.5 acres of farmland and is home to an array of animals: from rabbits and pygmy goats to donkeys and rhea birds. The farm was set up as a place to offer sensory experiences to individuals with learning difficulties and additional needs.
Police resources come under scrutiny in Tunbridge Wells
The summer months usually see a surge in demand for police services as a result of increased travel, socialising and a return to the evening economy. But the question some Tunbridge Wells residents are asking is: Where are the police? Malcolm Flanagan, 73, was attacked by a dog in Dunorlan Park, Tunbridge Wells, on Wednesday June 22. When he arrived at the police station in Crescent Road to report the incident soon after 1pm, he found it bolted up. “All three doors were firmly closed,” he said.
Witnesses sought after new allegations in Fuller case
The leader of the inquiry into double murderer David Fuller’s abuse of corpses in Tunbridge Wells mortuaries has called for people who worked with Fuller in the 1990s to come forward. Sir Jonathan Michael, the Chair of the independent inquiry, has called for staff who worked at two hospitals during that period to help the inquiry following “new allegations of inappropriate behaviour in the mortuary of the Kent and Sussex Hospital in the late 1990s”.
An unlikely source of longing
A world large enough to hold such a place as Tunbridge Wells is large enough for a few surprises more, writes Darrel Bristow-Bovey… You can keep your Tashkent and Samarkand, your Ninga-Ninga, your Bora-Bora, your Timbuktoo – there’s a far more thrilling and exotic name with which to conjure.
Tunbridge Wells police clamp down on antisocial behaviour
Two teenagers have been arrested and charged as local police clamp down on antisocial behaviour in Tunbridge Wells. The boys were detained following allegations that residents at an address in High Brooms had been assaulted and subjected to threats of violence made in an unprovoked incident on the evening of Monday, May 29. Enquiries by local officers led to the suspects, both 13, being arrested in the early hours of Wednesday June 7.
Tunbridge Wells gets set for a bumper summer season of fun
As Tunbridge Wells continues to revel in gloriously sunny days, visitors from all walks of life are returning in droves to attend a series of fun-filled events that have once more brought the summer spirit back to the town. While the Thursday night Jazz On The Pantiles is gaining momentum, last week saw thousands of patrons in attendance at the Annual Gin and Jazz Festival on The Pantiles.
Legal professionals celebrate 90 years of local law society
The Tunbridge Wells, Tonbridge & District Law Society (TWTDLS) celebrated its 90th anniversary on Monday May 29. Originally founded in the offices of Berry & Berry (now Berry & Lamberts Solicitors) in Church Road, Tunbridge Wells in 1933, the current President of TWTDLS, John Spence, a Property Litigation Partner at CooperBurnett LLP, was invited to mark the occasion at the office where the organisation began its life.
St Peter’s faces conversion into houses
THE former building of St Peter’s Church of England Primary School, in the centre of Tunbridge Wells, could be converted into homes, if an application to Tunbridge Wells Borough Council is approved. A planning application, submitted by Mason Carey Ltd, has been lodged to convert the old St Peter’s Primary School, in Windmill Street, into two homes. The school, which had an ‘Outstanding’ Ofsted rating, was split across three sites, and was the second most oversubscribed school in the area.
Treat yourself to the best of The West End
Feast on performances by some of the UK’s best vocalists at Trinity Theatre’s first fundraising gala event of the year on Sunday, June 4, says Michelle Wood An integral part of the Tunbridge Wells arts community, the Trinity Theatre is still standing strong after several difficult years of funding challenges in the wake of Covid. The theatre wholly relies on ticket sales, café takings, sponsorships and donations.
Comfort food with flair
TN1 Bar and Kitchen offers the best of British food with a contemporary twist and attention to detail that makes it a must-visit, says Michelle Wood. As we enter through the doors of TN1 Bar and Kitchen on Monson Street on a chilly spring evening. we are warmly greeted by owners Murat and Tess Askin. They are gracious and hospitable, and Murat shows us to our table tucked in a corner. The restaurant, contemporary and comfortable, is buzzing with patrons.
Keeping abreast of the sporting times
A new project being trialled at Beacon Academy is set to boost female student’s participation in sport by raising awareness of breast health issues, says Michelle Wood. Beacon Academy has partnered with the UK’s largest school wear supplier, Banner Ltd, to launch a new project that aims to boost female students’ participation in sports and to raise awareness of the importance of breast health.
Strength in numbers for female business leaders
WHAT happens when you get a dozen female entrepreneurs together to brainstorm the biggest problems facing their businesses and the customers on whom they depend? They emerge more motivated. Last week (Wednesday May 17) the Times was invited to join a group of some of the most successful businesswomen in Tunbridge Wells as part of the Make It Your Business (MIYB) group, brought together by Siobhan Stirling of Sharp Minds Communications.
Local companies received ‘£2million in government loans before folding’
A Tunbridge Wells-based group of businesses, which left investors facing losses of up to £30million, collectively received Covid loans of up to £2million, the BBC reported this week. Joint Venture Investment in Property (JVIP) group’s clients had included the elderly and the vulnerable, to whom JVIP had promised a 10 per cent return on investment.
TW-based London Capital & Finance boss receives 10-month suspended sentence
THE Former Chief Executive Officer of Tunbridge Wells-based London Capital & Finance Plc (LCF) Michael Andrew Thomson appeared in Southwark Crown Court on May 17 and was given a 10-month sentence, suspended for two years, after breaching a restraint order imposed on his bank account. Michael Andrew Thomson, also known as ‘Andy Thomson’, was CEO of London Capital & Finance when it collapsed in 2019.
Assault by A&E doctor ‘not proved’
Allegations against an Accident and Emergency doctor (A&E) doctor accused of assaulting two security staff members at Tunbridge Wells Hospital, where he worked, have not been proved. The Medical Practitioners Tribunal said that it had not been proved that Dr Layth Shaker had pushed a security supervisor or attempted to punch a security officer, grab him by the throat, force him to the floor and kick him. No action will be taken against Dr Shaker, who has been a qualified doctor for 33 years.
Singer-songwriter Anna Howie becomes Local & Live trustee
The organisers of Local & Live have announced that successful local performer Anna Howie has agreed to become a trustee of the popular annual music festival. Anna has long been a supporter of the local music scene and a promoter of original talent across the region. As an artist, she knows just what it takes to build a successful career. “I am very excited to be involved in Local & Live,” says Anna. “Having performed at the festival in the past, I have seen it grow into the success it has become.
Roadworks to close part of Pembury Road
A PROGRAMME of gas works in the east of Tunbridge Wells this summer will see the closure of the A264 Pembury Road for nearly six weeks. The roadworks, which have been approved by Kent County Council, will be undertaken by gas network operator SGN, making the road impassable from July 24 until an estimated completion date of September 1.
What it Takes to Deliver a Customer-Centric Loyalty Program
By now most businesses understand loyalty programs are critical to keeping customers engaged, especially in difficult economic times. But whether deciding how to implement a loyalty rewards program or upgrading an existing one, there are some valuable components that can assure a superior customer experience and return. Consumer confidence is on a roller-coaster ride.
How to Boost Customer Participation in Rewards,Loyalty Programs
Rewards programs, including both retailers’ proprietary loyalty programs as well as multi-brand rewards programs such as cashback rewards for shopping, are an important driver of customer loyalty in a time of economic instability.
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