Parish Cake - Spring 2020

IN ASSOCIATION WITH 

Parish 

SPRING 2020 

Cake 

YOUR SLICE OF CRANBROOK & SISSINGHURST LIFE 

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Parish Cake 

YOUR SLICE OF CRANBROOK & SISSINGHURST LIFE 

EDITOR: 

Cllr. Brian Clifford 

brian@brianclifford.net 

FEATURES EDITOR & CHIEF 

FEATURE WRITER: 

Cllr. Trisha Fermor 

trisha@parishcake.co.uk 

YOUTH EDITOR: 

Zachary Phillpot-Brian 

ADVERTISING SALES: 

Mignon Brian 

07779 185870 

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BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT: 

Graham Holmes 

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PUBLISHED BY: 

Cranbrook and Sissinghurst Parish Council 

01580 713112 

www.cranbrookandsissinghurstpc.co.uk 

PRODUCED BY: 

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welcome 

SOMETIMES SOMEONE emerges in the community as a really 

enthusiastic and sincere contributor to enhance the lives of so 

many people. Such is the contribution to Cranbrook that Philip 

Mummery has made, that resident Stuart Cleary was inspired 

in the last edition of PARISH CAKE to propose that Philip be 

appointed the Hon. Mayor of Cranbrook. 

Such was the reaction, as you will see in the letters pages of 

this magazine, that at a special ceremony in the Vestry Hall, 

Philip accepted the honour in front of over 100 members of the 

public including – see the full report on pages 24-25. 

Back to everyday life and the announcement of major road 

works in and around Cranbrook to enable a new mains gas 

supply to be installed, forthcoming VE Day celebrations, new 

museum sponsors and the eight year old trombone player in the Town Band are but a few 

stories about life in our parish – and there’s much more for you, I hope, to enjoy. 

You will also read that your parish councillors continue to play a very important role 

not only with financial planning but also caring about the development of the parish. 

PARISH CAKE is a magazine for you, providing a slice of community life – I hope that 

you look forward to receiving it. 

FRONT COVER: 

Phoenix Design & 

Construction is a 

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a diverse range of 

projects. With its office and yard based 

in the Cranbrook area, it serves both the 

parish and further afield in the South 

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running a project and make it a memorable 

process for all the right reasons. 

Its extensive network of building 

professionals includes fully qualified trade 

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design to the finished build or installation. 

01580 857718 / www.phoenixdc.co.uk 

Whilst every effort is made 

to ensure accuracy, the 

Cranbrook and Sissinghurst 

Parish Council, editor and 

authors cannot be held 

responsible for published errors. The views or 

opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect 

views of the Cranbrook and Sissinghurst 

Parish Council. Inclusion of any advertising 

material does not constitute a guarantee or 

endorsement of any products or services or 

claims made. 

contents 

REGULARS 

4 Directory & What’s On 

7 Chairman’s View 

8 Letters 

10 Parish News 

14 Club News 

29 Youth Comment 

48 Parish Council Update 

FEATURES 

21 Helen Grant – an update 

from our MP 

22 Community Centre – it’s 

all go as land is gifted to 

the parish 

Cllr. Brian Clifford – Editor 

ISSUE 12 SPRING 2020 

24 Mayor Making – 

Philip Mummery is Mayor 

of Cranbrook 

27 VE Day – this year’s 

celebrations in Cranbrook 

31 Tourism Group – the 

history behind Cranbrook’s 

tourism champions 

33 Cranbrook Museum – 

two new exhibits on show 

from April 

34 Affordable Housing - 

Cllr. Garry Pethurst says 

councils should build more 

houses 

36 Lambtastic – young 

shepherdess produces 

quality lamb 

39 My Life as a Guinea Pig – 

Bridget Veitch is part of an 

important study 

41 High Weald Academy – 

the new build is celebrated 

with art 

43 Kitchen & Garden – 

preparing for winter 

blooms and Cephalonian 

Meat Pie 

47 From our Sponsor – 

advice from lawyers at Buss 

Murton 

50 Local Legends – Ann and 

John Gurr 

Parish Cake • Spring 2020 3

what’son 

The 

Parish Cake guide to events 

in Cranbrook and Sissinghurst 

REGULAR EVENTS 

• Farmers’ Market every fourth Saturday in the 

month, 9am -12 noon 

• Tempo Singing every Saturday morning at 

Cranbrook School Music Centre, 9.30am-11am 

• Messy Church Children and Parent Group, 

second Friday each month, 3.30-5.30pm 

• The Children’s Centre, Cranbrook, offers free 

sessions for parents and children throughout 

the week. Call 03000 411035 for a timetable 

• Compass Community Choir, Wednesday 

evenings 5.30pm, Vestry Hall, everyone 

welcome! 

• Cranbrook Cemetery Chapel open every 

Wednesday until 3 October 

• The Planning and Preservation Committee 

meets in the Council Office on the 1st and 3rd 

Tuesday of every month 

• The Policy and Resources Development 

Committee meets in the Parish Council office 

at 5pm on the Tuesday preceding the Full 

Council meeting 

MARCH 

THURSDAY 5 

1pm FREE Cranbrook 

School Musicians 

Concert - refreshments 

on sale from 12.30pm, St 

Dunstan’s 

SATURDAY 7 

Cranbrook Open Market 

SATURDAY 7 

7pm St. Dunstan’s Annual 

Quiz, Vestry Hall 

SUNDAY 22 

9.30am Mothering 

Sunday, distribution of 

posies, St. Dunstan’s 

THURSDAY 12 

7.30pm Full Parish 

Council Meeting, Council 

Chamber, everyone 

welcome 

SATURDAY 14 

Gentlemen’s Breakfast, 

Hartley Dyke Farm Shop, 

speaker Nathan Tongh/ 

Torchlight Charity - 

tickets: 01580 7I5861 

SUNDAY 15 

7.30pm CODS 

Community Centenary 

Concert, St. Dunstan’s 

Church 

SATURDAY 28 

2.30pm Sissinghurst 

Spring Summer Show 

APRIL 

THURSDAY 2 

1pm Free lunchtime 

concert Keith Fox 

(Baritone), refreshments 

on sale from 12.30pm, St 

Dunstan’s 

SATURDAY 4 

Cranbrook Open Market 

THURSDAY 9 




welcome 

THURSDAY 23 

12.30pm Bangers and 

mash lunch/plant sale, 

St. Dunstan’s Church 

Vicarage 

SATURDAY 25 

Cranbrook Choral 

Society Concert, St. 

Dunstan’s Church 

MAY 

THURSDAY 7 

1pm Free Ashford 

School Musicians 

Concert, St. Dunstan’s 

Church, refreshments 

on sale from 12.30pm 

FRIDAY 8 

VE Day High Street 

Celebrations 

SUNDAY 10 

3pm VE Day Concert - 

Cranbrook Town Band, 

tickets at door £5, 

afternoon tea during 

interval, St. Dunstan’s 

Church 

THURSDAY 14 




welcome 

SATURDAY 16 

Sissinghurst Primary 

School May Fair 

THURSDAY/SATURDAY 

28–29 

CODS Arabian Night’s, 

Queen’s Theatre 

While every effort is made 

to ensure accuracy, dates 

and times may change. 

If you are organising an 

event in the parish why 

not drop us a line and we 

might be able to include 

you in the listings too – 

editorial@parishcake.co.uk 

directory 


Parish Council 

The Old Fire Station 

Stone Street, Cranbrook 

KENT TN17 3HF 

Clerk – Mrs. L. Ham 

Deputy Clerk – Mrs. L. Thirkell 

01580 713112 / clerk@ 

cranbrookandsissinghurstpc. 

co.uk 

BOROUGH & COUNTY 

COUNCILS 

Tunbridge Wells Borough 

Council 

01892 526121 

www.tunbridgewells.gov.uk 

Kent County Council 

03000 41 41 41 

www.kent.gov.uk 

USEFUL NUMBERS 

UTILITIES 

Electricity: 0800 727282 

(24 hrs) 

Gas: 0800 111 999 

Water: South East Water 

(drinking water) 0800 

0283399, Southern Water 

(waste water) 0800 820999 

(24 hrs), Emergency leak 0800 

0283399, Floodline 0845 

9881188 (24 hrs) 

CRIME 

Non-Emergency Police: 101 

Crime Stoppers: 0800 555111 

KCC Community Warden: 

Adam Osbourn 

07813 695741 

PCSO: Lee Jules 

07772 226048 

Neighbourhood Watch Area 

Co-ordinator: 01622 604395 

ROOMS & HALLS TO HIRE 

St George’s Institute, 

Sissinghurst: Ursula O’Connor 

01580 713938 

The Parish Room, 

Sissinghurst: Sue Crowe 

01580 712567 

ts.crowe74@gmail.com 

The Vestry Hall, Council 

Chamber and Addison VC 

Room, Cranbrook: 

01580 713112 (10am-12pm 

weekdays). 

A full list of over 30 venues for 

hire in the parish is available 

from the parish office 

USEFUL CONTACTS 

CHURCHES 

Congregational Church, 

Cranbrook: 01580 388070 

St. Dunstan’s, Cranbrook: 

01580 715861 

St. Theodore’s RC, Cranbrook: 

01580 713364 

Strict Baptist Church, 

Cranbrook: 01580 713212 

Trinity Church, Sissinghurst: 

01580 852275 

Vine Church, Cranbrook: 

01580 712620 

SCHOOLS AND PRE 

SCHOOLS 

Colliers Green CE Primary: 

01580 211335 

Cranbrook CE Primary: 

01580 713249 

Cranbrook Children’s Centre: 

03000 41 10 35 

Cranbrook School: 

01580 711800 

Dulwich Preparatory School: 

01580 712179 

High Weald Academy: 

01580 712754 

Rainbow Pre School, 

Cranbrook: 01580 715570 

Sissinghurst CE Primary: 

01580 713895 

Woodpeckers Pre School, 

Cranbrook: 01580 720195 

DOCTORS 

Jockey Lane Surgery, 

Cranbrook: 01580 713032 

Old School Surgery, 

Cranbrook: 01580 712476 

Orchard End Surgery, 

Cranbrook: 01580 713622 

DEFIBRILLATORS 

Cranbrook Medical Centre, 

Cranbrook 

Cricket Club, Sissinghurst 

Parish Council office 

Sissinghurst Castle Garden 

St. George’s Institute, 

Sissinghurst 

Tennis Club, Sissinghurst 

The George Hotel, Cranbrook 

The Milkhouse, Sissinghurst 

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comment 

CHAIRMAN’S VIEW 

A LETTER published in Parish 

Cake suggested that Philip 

Mummery should become the first 

mayor of Cranbrook. 

This letter galvanised the parish 

to create a new role of Honorary 

Mayor and Phil is the first person 

to hold the post, complete with 

gown and medallion. 

His inauguration on February 

14th was a fitting tribute to a 

local man who has made so many 

community events happen over 

very many years. Thank you too 

to the community for raising this 

and getting it done and thanks 

to Phil for his dedication to 

Cranbrook. 

It is 20 years since the 

millennium celebrations kickstarted 

a project to build a 

community centre in Cranbrook. 

The plan was to raise £100,000 

to build it, difficult to believe in 

these days. 

A few stalwarts have stuck with 

the project, the main issue being 

where to put it and how to afford 

the land. 

Through the generosity of a 

businessman Guy Johnson and 

his wife, the parish has been 

gifted a large plot of land on 

Wilkes Field, by the bridge 

to the Frythe. Tunbridge 

Wells Borough Council 

has also gifted us the 

public toilets and the 

parish is purchasing 

the old Tanyard Dental 

surgery. 

This gives us a 

substantial piece of land 

on which to plan a new 

multi-GP medical surgery with 

a new library and community 

centre. The contracts have been 

signed and exchanged and the 

land is ours. This is something 

the Millennium Trust members 

dreamed of all those years ago! 

We have a multi-talented team 

which has offered to help with the 

planning and construction of the 

site, but we will need your input, 

skills and support to get it done 

on time and in budget. See a later 

article in this edition of Parish 

Cake. 

The 800 or so new houses that 

are planned in Sissinghurst and 

Cranbrook will be adding more 

change to our community. The 

Neighbourhood Development 

Plan group is trying hard to 

ensure these are built to a high 

ABOVE: Cllr. Kim 

Fletcher. 

standard, in the least damaging 

places, and will make nice 

neighbourhoods with good links 

into town. There is a piece later 

in the magazine about the group’s 

activities. 

There will be upheaval, and 

some neighbourhoods will be 

affected more than others. The 

Parish Council will do its best to 

minimise and mitigate changes, 

but the parish will change. 

We hope the new buildings 

planned by the parish will 

facilitate the new residents to 

integrate, while offering muchneeded 

space for improving 

health provision, recreational 

and meeting space and a library 

open for longer hours than 

currently. These changes will need 

parishioners to be considerate, as 

we will continue to be neighbours, 

with many common goals. 

We have adopted a new 

saying in the parish office: ‘You 

can disagree without being 

disagreeable’. 

In this spirit, I wish you a great 

spring, there is so much to look 

forward to. 

Cllr. Kim Fletcher. 


letters www.bussmurton.co.uk 

| T: 01580 712 215 

Letters in Support of Philip Mummery for Mayor of Cranbrook 

I am writing to you to express my support 

for the idea that Phillip Mummery should be 

appointed as Cranbrook honorary Mayor. Philip 

has over the years made a huge contribution to 

Cranbrook and Angley School, particularly in his 

support for the young enterprise scheme with 

one company getting to the national final. 

His enthusiasm and support for the town has 

been boundless. I feel that the town appointing 

him as Mayor would go some way towards 

recognising all his hard work, as such I urge the 

council to create the post and make him the first 

Mayor for many years. 

Robin Chiles 

I am delighted to write on behalf of Cranbrook 

Windmill Association in support of the proposal 

to install Phillip Mummery as Mayor of Cranbrook. 

He is also a very committed and knowledgeable 

Steward in the Mill with a seemingly endless fund 

of witty stories to amuse visitors. His speciality is 

the ‘Bin Floor’ at the top of the Mill. There isn’t 

much room up there so his slight stature is a 

definite asset. 

Visitors often comment on the wonderful 

time they have had on the Bin Floor thanks to 

Phil. So “Thank you Phil” from everybody in the 

Windmill Association. You’ll be a great Mayor, a 

real ambassador for Cranbrook, but we hope your 

Mayoral duties won’t prevent you from continuing 

at the Mill for many years to come. You’re too good 

to lose. 

Nick Vinall, chairman, Cranbrook 

Windmill Association 

I propose Phil Mummery for Mayor of Cranbrook. 

Neil Levett 

We would like to put in our vote for Phil Mummery to be the first Mayor 

of Cranbrook. Phil has worked so hard to give his time and energy to 

many events in Cranbrook over the years, never thinking of himself, just 

the community. If anyone deserves this, Phil certainly does! What a star. 

Wendy and Mark Waters 

Phil’s inauguration as Mayor of 

Cranbrook an honour long overdo. 

Rod Dann 

I write to say that I thoroughly 

support the proposal that Philip 

Mummery should be made Mayor 

of Cranbrook. I have known 

Philip for over 30 years and his 

constant energy, enthusiasm 

and hard work in support of 

Cranbrook town traders and 

residents during all of this time 

has been inspirational and 

we believe that he more than 

deserves to made Mayor of the 

town that he has given so much 

to over the years. 

Raj Bisram, director, Bentleys 

Fine Art Auctioneers 

I propose Phil Mummery. 

Michelle Levett 

We would like 

to put in our vote for Phil 

Mummery to be the first Mayor 

of Cranbrook. For many years 

Phil has worked so hard to give his 

time and energy to many community 

events for Cranbrook with no gain 

for himself. He so deserves the 

recognition. 

Julie, Kevin and Hollie, 

Larkins Ale House 

As a keen fan of the Annual 

Apple Fair may I add my support 

to Stuart Cleary’s proposal? A 

Mayor for Cranbrook seems 

like a good idea and compared 

to some of the people who have 

been Mayor in larger urban 

centres Philip is an exemplary 

candidate... 

Ian Hislop 

Please send your letters to editorial@ 

parishcake.co.uk or by post to Parish Cake, Cranbrook 

and Sissinghurst Parish Council, 

The Old Fire Station, Stone Street, Cranbrook, TN17 3HF. Please 

note, letters may be published in a shortened form at the 

discretion of the editor. 


We have been providing expert and 

trusted legal advice to individuals and 

businesses for generations. 

I have had the pleasure of witnessing the amazing work 

Philip has done over the years for Cranbrook, especially 

at the Apple Fairs. His commitment to the local 

community is to be admired and should be recognised. 

As a long standing local entrepreneur owning a 

business in the High Street for many years, he has an 

excellent understanding of the business community and 

is very well known to most in the surrounding areas. He 

has been a catalyst for collaboration and has brought 

many people together from near and far. 

From an outsider’s perspective, Cranbrook could 

really benefit from a figurehead such as a Mayor and 

from experience it has a huge positive impact. You will 

find there are many that would support nominating 

Phillip and I am 100% on that list. Phil Mummery for 

Mayor! Three Cheers!!! 

Chris Luff, chief executive Watford and Herts. 

Chamber of Commerce 

We would like 

to add our support 

to the brilliant idea of 

proposing Philip Mummery 

as the first ever Mayor of 

Cranbrook. No one deserves it 

more than he. 

Dinah and John 

Badcock 

There is no-one better than 

Phil Mummery for the first 

Mayor of Cranbrook. He has 

done so much for the town. 

Lyn and Mick Howlett 

I wish to vote for Phil Mummery to 

become Mayor of Cranbrook. He is 

such a true gent and asset to our town. 

Diana Jarrett 

I would like to second Phil Mummery as 

the ideal inaugural Mayor of Cranbrook. 

As Stuart Cleary pointed out, Cranbrook 

is worthy of such a position, and though 

generally considered ceremonial 

nowadays, over time they can be seen 

as a focal point for improving the 

town. I am confident that there is the 

enthusiasm to do so, should someone, 

such as your publication pick up the 

baton and get the community to back it. 

Andrew Kennedy 

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newsbites 

News 

and views from 


Let There be Light – 

and There Was! 

Farewell to Outgoing Chairman 

THE DEDICATION and hard work of former parish council 

chairman, Bridget Veitch, has been recognised with a 

special presentation. 

After nine years on the council, more than four as 

chairman, Mrs Veitch was presented with a painting of 

Cranbrook, a town she loves, by Cllr. Kim Fletcher who 

has taken on her role. 

He thanked her for her commitment to the council, 

especially her enthusiasm for the town’s planned 

community centre. She devoted the project to her late 

husband and former Kent County Councillor Thomas 

Veitch. TF 

THE LEVEL of 

artificial light 

in St Dunstan’s 

church was widely 

recognised as being 

abysmal but no 

longer!. In August 

2018 the Parochial 

Church Council 

decided to rectify 

matters and Mr Jeff 

Barker, a chartered 

engineer parishioner, 

voluntarily took on 

the job as project 

manager. Today, 

with the rewiring 

nearing completion 

and having raised 

and spent more 

than £130,000, the 

situation is very 

different with a 

brightly lit church 

available at all times 

of the day and night 

Thanks to the 

leadership of the 

vicar, the Rev. Ann 

Pollington, and Nye 

Jones, a PCC member 

as fundraiser, the 

generosity of the 

community at large, 

the congregation 

and a number of 

local and national 

charitable trusts, 

funds steadily built 

up throughout 

the year enabling 

work to start last 

September. 

Rev. Ann said: 

“Let there be Light 

was the slogan for 

fundraising for 

the new lighting 

and rewiring of 

the church. I am 

extremely pleased 

to be able to tell 

everyone, with your 

help over the past 

14 months, we have 

raised the total of 

£134,000 and by the 

end of February the 

project should be 

completed. 

“Then I will be able 

to say, Let There 

be Light and There 

was Light. Thank 

you to one and 

all, to our project 

manager, chief grant 

applier, all who 

have generously 

given a donation 

and, of course, 

to our wonderful 

contractors who 

have done such a 

great job.” TF 

Minimising 

Traffic Disruption 

A MAJOR project to replace Victorian 

cast iron gas pipes with plastic will 

affect traffic in and around Cranbrook 

until July. 

The work, which is being carried 

out by Southern Gas Networks (SGN) 

began in February in Hartley Road. KCC 

councillor Sean Holden convened a 

meeting with Kent Highways, SGN, the 

contractors and the parish council to 

work out how to minimise disruption. 

By re-routing and re-engineering, 

SGN has brought the road closure time 

down from 12 weeks to two. However, 

there will be traffic lights for several 

weeks around the town. 

Traffic lights will be on stretches of 

Hartley Road until 14 April and the High 

Street will be closed at the junction of 

New Road. A diversion will run through 

Wheatfield Way, by the fire station, with 

HGVs diverted to Waterloo Road. Traffic 

lights will control traffic while houses 

are connected to the new pipe. 

From 11 May for seven weeks lights 

will control traffic between the war 

memorial and Wheatfield Way on the 

Angley Road. 

From 10 July there will be traffic lights 

at Baker’s Cross, by Rammell Field. 

Most of the gas pipes on the Frythe and 

Dorothy Avenue are being upgraded this 

year but the timing has not yet been 

announced. TF 


news 

God 

Speed 

the 

Plough 

AN ANCIENT plough took 

pride of place inside 

St, Dunstan’s Church, 

Cranbrook, for a special 

service in January. 

The vicar, the Rev. Anne 

Pollington, revived the 

annual Plough Sunday 

service for the second 

year running, this time 

the machine having been 

successfully manhandled 

into the church. 

The service included 

blessing the plough, 

which had been loaned by 

Staplehurst farmer Terry 

Offen. He had spent the 

previous months restoring 

the machine which 

was decked with flags. 

The vicar also blessed 

gardening tools brought 

along by parishioners. 

She said: “Blessing 

the plough appears 

to be a very ancient 

festival, revived by the 

Victorians. Traditionally 

it is celebrated on the first 

Sunday after Epiphany, 6 

January. 

“Often the plough 

was feted and drawn 

through the streets to be 

blessed in church. This 

was thought to ensure 

food for the coming year. 

Plough Monday was the 

first day that work in the 

fields commenced after 

Christmas.” TF 

Cranbrook 

Literature 

Festival 

THE CRANBROOK Literature 

Festival (a biennial event) is back 

this year, taking place on Friday 

25 and Saturday 26 September. 

The programme for the two 

day cultural event is really 

taking shape with authors Tessa 

Hadley and Deborah Moggach 

booked to attend as well as Great 

Dixter gardener and chef Aaron 

Bertelsen who will be talking 

about his books The Great Dixter 

Cookbook and his soon to be 

released Grow Fruit & Vegetables 

in Pots. 

Children’s authors are being 

added for the schools events 

on the Friday as well as writing 

workshops and poetry. Take a 

look at the festival website for 

up-to-date information and 

additions to the programme. 

www.cranbrookliteraturefestival. 

com 

Snowdrops 

to Brighten 

Churchyard 

AS PART of the ongoing of 

rewilding of St. Dunstan’s 

churchyard, the vicar the Rev. 

Ann Pollington, assisted by 

parish warden Ivor Hatcher, 

planted snowdrops in 

January. TF 

MP in Rat Pack Pic 

ON A visit to Cranbrook our MP 

Helen Grant couldn’t resist having 

a picture taken with Tarot Rat lead 

singer Tim Hill. 

When the Maidstone and Weald 

MP visited the Hub in Stone Street, 

she jumped at the chance to have 

a selfie taken with Tim. The Cranbrook-based 

contemporary blues-rock band Tarot Rats released 

their first single Only the Brave (Will Remain) last 

summer. TF 


news 

Have your say: The Bank of 

England is coming to Cranbrook 

Where There is 

Brass There is Ned! 

NED NEWSOM, eight, is looking 

forward to a bright future playing 

the trombone thanks to the 

Cranbrook Town Band. 

His father David, a member of the 

band, was delighted when Ned said 

he wanted to join and is pleased that 

he is in the training band, taught by 

Robin Traves. 

Another proud member of Ned’s 

family is Mitzi Newsom, chairman 

and general secretary of the 

Sissinghurst Flower Show 

Society. TF 

THE BANK of England’s 

regional Business Insights 

roundtable, in association 

with the Federation of 

Small Businesses (FSB), is 

being held in Cranbrook 

on Wednesday 7 October 

2020. 

The event, which will 

include an economic 

update, followed by 

a business insight 

discussion, will be chaired 

by the Bank of England’s 

deputy agent, South 

East & East Anglia, Alex 

Golledge, and will also 

be attended by the FSB’s 

development manager, 

Alison Parmar. 

In addition to providing 

local businesses with 

an opportunity to 

speak face-to-face with 

representatives, delegates 

will also gain invaluable 

insight into key economic 

issues and trends across 

the region, as well as 

opportunities for business 

networking. 

Emma Wood of The Hive 

said: “It’s so important to 

get local businesses and 

start-ups together, and 

to hear what they have 

to say, as they will help 

shape the economy of 

the future. We’re thrilled 

to have been chosen to 

host the event, as we 

can provide the perfect 

platform for local business 

owners to get involved in 

the discussion.” 

Local businesses are 

invited to participate 

in a series of intimate 

Wealden Business Insights 

roundtables, co-hosted 

by The Hive and Darwin 

Whitty, and held on the 

first Thursday of each 

month between March 

and July 2020, from 6pm. 

Participation is free 

of charge, on a firstcome 

first-served basis, 

including tea, coffee, 

fruit juice and light meze. 

For further details, or to 

register your interest in 

participating, please email 

emma.smith@hivehubs. 

buzz. Brian Clifford 

Children Host Tea Party 

YOUNGSTERS AT Sissinghurst Primary School turned waiters for 

the annual Over 60s tea party in January. 

As well as the younger children singing Christmas songs, the 

guests were treated to a sumptuous tea served by the older ones. 

The afternoon was organised by Patricia Stearns and her team with 

the backing of the school. TF 


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clubnews 

A 

round-up of news from 

Cranbrook and Sissinghurst clubs, 

groups and associations 

And the Band Played on… 

CRANBROOK TOWN Band had an excellent 2019. We won all the 

prizes at the local contest, played in 19 concerts and with Tesco’s 

help were able to refresh the instruments for our youth band. We 

raised significant donations for Demelza and Macmillan Cancer 

Support and were honoured once again to be part of Remembrance 

Day in Cranbrook. 

2020 promises to be equally exciting. The band is flourishing, 

new members are welcome and our youth band is developing young 

musicians. We are self-supporting and rely on patronage from the 

local community. We need support in terms of attending our concerts 

and booking us. If you need music at your event then get in touch at 

www.cranbrooktownband.org.uk 

Finally, put 26 September in your diary as a date where you can 

hear the world-renowned trombonist Chris Thomas from The Cory 

Band playing with us in Cranbrook. 

David Newsom 

Hop Pickers Line AGM 

AT ITS Annual General Meeting in Cranbrook on the 

10 December 2019, chair Yolanda Laybourne reported 

on a busy year for the group. Talks were given to the 

Frittenden History Society as well as the Horsmonden 

History Society and the group participated in the High 

Weald Walking Festival in September when it led a 

guided walk around Goudhurst featuring some of the 

remaining structures of the line. 

During the same month the group attended the 

Horsmonden Nostalgia Day, providing a small 

exhibition and film show. 

Yolanda went on to mention that a second 

information panel had been installed in Goudhurst 

near to the entrance of Finchcocks. The possibility of a 

further panel in Horsmonden is being researched. Her 

report was concluded by announcing that the group 

would again be undertaking profile raising activities 

during 2020. She also took the opportunity to express 

her thanks to both the members of the Hop Pickers Line 

Heritage Group for their commitment and to David 

Scully of Tunbridge Wells Borough Council for his 

continued support and valued guidance. 

Active members are drawn from the parishes of 

Cranbrook and Sissinghurst, Goudhurst, Horsmonden 

and Paddock Wood. Graham Holmes 

Cranbrook in Bloom 

WE ARE a friendly group of volunteers working to keep the town looking 

welcoming and florally attractive all year round. Fund raising events are held 

throughout the year, such as plant sales, garden safari and a craft fair. These 

events help fund the work we do and volunteers are encouraged to help when 

they can. Whatever time you can spare will be appreciated. 

To maintain and improve certain areas, we have work parties that member 

volunteers can come along to. This may involve emptying or re planting 

planters, work at the Copse, the wildflower area, Forge Orchard or the Library 

Pond. However you do not need green fingers, just a bit of enthusiasm. 

Details and photographs can be seen on our website 

www.cranbrookinbloom.co.uk. Come and join us, new ideas are new faces 

are always welcome! Chairman, Linda Page – 07432 640571. 


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club news 

Cranbrook 

Men’s Breakfasts 

FOR SOME years, St. Dunstan’s Church has 

been organising a Men’s Breakfast which is 

open to all men in and around Cranbrook 

(and some ladies come from time to 

time). We say Grace before eating, but it 

is otherwise non-religious. with speakers 

ranging over a wide range of topics. We 

meet four times a year. 

For example, last September we had 

former MP Charles Wardell to speak on 

the changing face of politics over his 

lifetime, being careful not to get too deep 

into Brexit! Then in November we had a 

speaker from Chapel Down vinery, who 

gave us two excellent glasses of local wine 

and a good talk to go with them. 

We meet at the Hartley Dyke Coffee 

Shop on a Saturday morning for breakfast, 

and our next meeting is on 14 March 

when Mr Nathan Tough, of the charity 

Porchlight, will be giving us an insight into 

how the poor are helped here in Kent. 

If you are interested contact myself on 

713836, or Ronnie Todd-Young on 715064, 

or join our email circular by contacting 

Clare in the St. Dunstan’s office – office@ 

stdunstansoffice.org.uk. John Tapper 

Cranbrook U3A – A Force for Good in the Community 

CRANBROOK U3A 

continues to thrive – we 

have over 250 members, 

25 of whom having 

joined within the past 

six months, so we must 

be doing something 

right! This year we will 

celebrate our 5th birthday 

– another milestone for 

this local organisation 

run by a small group of 

dedicated volunteers from 

the membership working 

tirelessly to support interest 

groups, social events and 

outings. 

U3A provides people in 

their third age (retired, 

semi-retired or working 

part time) to come 

together, learn something 

new, maybe pass on their 

knowledge or passion to 

others, or just enjoy a social 

occasion – fundamentally 

important to the wellbeing 

of those who may live 

alone. 

Our interest groups have 

also expanded to 30 with 

the addition of a seasonal 

Soup Kitchen, Keep Fit, 

Learn to Sail a Yacht, 

Cranbrook Quizzers and 

most recently Art for Fun! 

Our monthly meetings 

held in the Vestry Hall offer 

members the chance to 

listen to a wide range of 

topics from professional 

speakers. This year subjects 

include history, science, 

discovery and the arts. A 

workshop exploring the 

fascinating subject of oil 

painting restoration is also 

planned. 

20 March: Fred Walker on 

Captain James Cook and his 

amazing life 

18 April: Lucy Simiter on 

Charles Babbage and Ada 

Byron and the contribution 

made by these two 19th 

century pioneers, now 

recognised as being at the 

dawn of the computer age 

15 May: Andrew Baker on 

the pace of social change 

since 1945 brought about 

through immigration, 

housing, working practices 

and the welfare state 

19 June: Bernard Lockett 

on Gilbert & Sullivan 

We welcome new 

members so if you would 

like to join us please visit 

www.u3asites.org.uk/ 

cranbrook/welcome. 

Jane Pugh 

On Earth as 

in Heaven? 

YOU PROBABLY learnt The 

Lord’s Prayer at school. “Our 

Father who art in Heaven…” 

For many people it’s a form 

of words buried deep in the 

sub-conscious that can be 

easily rattled off. Our most 

recent series of talks focused 

on this prayer; the words that 

are so familiar to us today were 

revolutionary at the time they 

were first spoken. 

When Jesus taught His 

followers to pray, “Your 

kingdom come, Your will 

be done, on Earth as it in in 

Heaven”, He highlighted the 

fact that all is not well in the 

world. Sickness and suffering, 

lack, hardship and injustice are 

common here but they don’t 

exist in heaven. For God’s 

kingdom to come here on Earth 

means bringing the antidote to 

the evils we see around us. 

Often God wants us to work 

with Him to become part of 

the answer to our own prayers. 

He guides us and gives us the 

ability to stand up for truth, 

care for those who need help 

and speak up for justice. You 

and I can be part of spreading 

God’s kingdom wherever we 

live and work this week. Chris 

Goodchild, Vine Church 


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club news 

LADIES RUGBY 

CRANBROOK LADIES continue their 

journey through their third season, team 

numbers are strong, and team morale is 

even stronger! The team are an amazing 

bunch of ladies who also socialise 

together a lot. Rugby is not just a sport 

for us, it is a support network, family 

and social life. The foundations are truly 

planted and we look forward to seeing 

what the future brings for us. Training is 

Tuesday and Thursday evenings at 8pm 

if anyone would like to come and give 

us a try! 

Cranbrook Rugby Club has recently 

started a girls section for girls aged 

between 10-17. Rugby is great for fitness, making 

friends and building confidence. We already have great numbers in the girls section 

and they are loving it, they have so much fun and in such a short time some have gone 

from shy young ladies to a crazy, giggly and a fun bunch who are enjoying every minute 

and making friends. The parents love it too! If you have anyone who would like to join, 

bring them along on a Sunday morning at 10am and we will be there to welcome you! 

Calling all Young Cricketers 

Inspired by the England Team! 

CRANBROOK CRICKET 

Club is continuing preseason 

net sessions for 

4-16 year olds on Tuesday 

evenings through to 

the end of April and we 

are looking forward to 

moving outside on Sunday 

mornings in May. 

The coaching continues 

to be led by professional 

coaches from Skillz Sports 

Academy, backed up by 

some of our older players 

completing their Duke of 

Edinburgh volunteering. It 

is always fun and engaging 

for all ages and abilities of 

boys and girls. 

There are plenty of 

opportunities for matches, 

with teams competing 

at every age group in the 

Weald of Kent league and 

we now have 13 players 

from the club who have 

been selected and play at 

district/Kent level. 

We are also looking to 

expand our Adult T20 

team with more fixtures 

– last year we had a 100% 

record of played 4 won 4. 

New players are always 

warmly welcomed at the 

club – come along for a 

free trial! 

There will also be 

Skillz Academy Cricket 

Camps running at the 

club in the half term 

and summer holidays. 

For more information 

please contact us at 

cranbrookcricketers@ 

gmail.com. Sue Webster 

Cranbrook 

Sports Club – 

New Clubhouse 

Development 

CRANBROOK SPORTS Club has 

assembled funds amounting to some 

£300k towards the new build – these 

from fundraising activities, events 

and operating surpluses, as well as 

contributions from some developers. 

The first major fundraising application 

is currently with Sport England and 

the latest indication is that, subject 

to the club providing some further 

information, it is likely that a formal 

offer of a grant will be made. 

This award will be a major boost 

to the club’s fundraising efforts and 

the fundraising team are currently 

evaluating how to deal with further 

grant applications as well as planning 

further activities within the club. 

We are always looking for help 

and if you have experience that that 

you feel would be useful, would like 

to assist in raising a large amount of 

money or indeed would like to donate 

please contact the fundraising team at 

funding@cranbrooksportsclub.co.uk 

SUPPORT ST. DUNSTAN’S 

AND WIN CASH PRIZES! 

A CALL has gone out for more people to join St Dunstan’s Church’s 100 club 

which raises money for its upkeep while paying out cash prizes to members. 

Being such a large building, it is in constant need of maintenance with an 

average of £2,500 a week needed for its upkeep. Attracting visitors from all 

over the world, the church organ featured in the Great Exhibition at Crystal 

Palace in 1851 and its clock was a prototype for Big Ben. 

Anyone who would like to join can pick up a leaflet from the church. TF 


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comment 

AS THE dust has now settled 

following the General Election 

before Christmas, I want to 

thank people in Cranbrook and 

Sissinghurst for again placing 

your trust in me as your MP. 

It is humbling to have your 

support and I am enormously 

privileged to continue to serve 

our fabulous community. 

I am looking forward to once 

more dedicating myself to the 

issues that matter to us here in 

Kent. My priorities will include: 

bettering our public transport 

and tackling congestion, 

Working on Your Behalf... 

improving access to GPs, 

securing more investment for 

our schools and preserving our 

precious green spaces. The hard 

work has already started, and 

since the election I 

have already: lobbied 

the Government 

regarding overbearing 

housing targets, 

liaised with our 

local authorities 

about the need to strengthen 

our road infrastructure and 

arranged a meeting with the 

trains Minister to discuss 

improvements to rail services 

in Maidstone and The Weald. 

Further from home, I am 

delighted that we have now 

secured the strong Conservative 

majority which our country 

so desperately needed. The 

certainty this offers has been 

widely welcomed. We have now 

“WE HAVE NOW LEFT THE 

EUROPEAN UNION AND CAN 

BEGIN TO CHART A NEW PATH 

AS AN OUTWARD LOOKING, 

GLOBAL BRITAIN” 

left the European Union and 

can begin to chart a new path 

as an outward looking, global 

Britain. 

The new Government will 

also deliver on our other 

priorities here in rural Kent. We 

will invest a record amount of 

money in the NHS, and I’ll be 

fighting to ensure our hospitals 

at Maidstone and Pembury get 

their fair share, and we’ll recruit 

20,000 new police officers; with 

the 181 new officers announced 

for Kent this year marking 

the first step. Furthermore, 

the Government will provide 

a funding increase for every 

school pupil in Kent from April 

and press ahead with rolling out 

superfast broadband, which is 

so important in the more rural 

parts of the High Weald. 

Finally, I always want to hear 

from my constituents about the 

issues that matter to you, so 

contact me anytime at at 

helen.grant.mp@parliament.uk 

Tel. 01580 388190 

The Street, Benenden, Kent, TN17 4DB 

www.dreamlashesnailsandbrows.co.uk 

Michael Laws 

Careers Coach 

Career development sevices, 

including coaching, CVs 

and interview techniques 

www.activatecareers.co.uk 

michael@activatecareers.co.uk 

07973 406215 

Activate Your Career 

MEET 

YOUR MP 

Helen Grant 

Helen Grant, MP for Maidstone 

and the Weald, holds regular 

surgeries around the 

constituency. 

If you would like to arrange 

an appointment to discuss 

an issue of concern to you, 

please e-mail Helen at helen. 

grant.mp@parliament.uk or 

telephone 020 7219 7107. 

helengrant.org 

@HelenGrantMP 

HelenGrantMP 

Promoted by Helen Grant MP, 

of House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA 


feature 

Cranbrook Centre: We Need to 

Know What You Want 

CRANBROOK RESIDENTS have been asking 

for a community centre for the past 20 

years. In this time we have lost most of our 

community spaces: the Tunbridge Wells 

council offices, church and drill halls. This 

means that we have few places to meet, 

for events, for social occasions or for 

recreational clubs. 

We are now planning to build our new 

centre, which will include a new library, open 

for longer hours than currently, an open 

air ‘town square’ and other spaces for the 

community to: 

• run clubs for hobbies or come together in 

interest groups 

• to hold celebrations, functions or music 

events 

• engage in adult education or well-being 

sessions 

• meet as pensioners or new parents in 

groups for coffee, play or lunch 

• hold community festivals without 

worrying about the weather! 

The GPs are keen to have a self contained 

medical centre on the site, to ensure 

continued care well into the future. 

HAVE YOUR SAY 

The new centre will serve all ages in the 

community, and this is where we need your 

help. We need to define how many rooms, 

what size and resources are needed - be as 

creative as you can! 

• Who would like to use the centre? 

• How many people would be involved? 

• How often would you meet? 

• How much storage you need? 

• Do you need any specific resources? 

• Do you need access to a kitchen? 

• What benefits you think this will bring to the 

community? 

Please send the answers for as many 

organisations as you can think of to 

cranbrookcommunitycentre@gmail.com 

HOW DOES THE COMMUNITY GO 

ABOUT BUILDING A COMMUNITY 

CENTRE? 

To keep you informed at all stages of the 

exciting Community Centre development we 

will report back in each issue of Parish Cake 

on what’s currently going on, and on our 

planned next steps. 

Where you have comments or ideas on 

current or planned activities, or where you 

want to get involved please email us at 


feature 

cranbrookcommunitycentre@gmail.com 

We’ll be using the Royal Institute of 

British Architects (RIBA) seven stage 

process to plan our delivery. 

The outputs of the current strategic 

definition phase are an outline business 

case that sets out: 

• the key accommodation requirements 

and user needs of the building 

• the delivery options that have been 

considered 

• a business plan for delivery, and 

• a project budget. 

Of course, much excellent work was done 

on strategy definition in 2016. In the next 

period, we’ll refresh and update this to 

reflect the latest local requirements, for 

example, the involvement of the Medical 

Centre. 

We’ll be using the standard government 

‘five case’ methodology when developing 

the business case, which considers: 

1 What’s the strategy? How do we 

appraise delivery options? (Strategic 

case) 

2 What are the financial costs and 

benefits and when do they fall? 

(Financial case) 

3 What’s the economic impact on our 

society? (Economic case) 

4 How will we manage project delivery? 

(Management case) 

5 What is our procurement strategy? 

(Commercial case) 

At this stage, with our focus on the 

outline business case, we’ll emphasise the 

strategic case and the outline financial 

and economic costs and benefits. As 

the work progresses through the design 

phases, we’ll increasingly focus in on 

the operational detail of the financial, 

management and commercial cases. 

We’ll be writing shortly to invite your 

latest thoughts on user requirements for 

the Community Centre, which we’ll use to 

update the 2016 plans. 

In the meantime, if you’ve any 

comments or questions on these plans, 

latest thoughts on local requirements for 

the Community Centre, or would just like 

to contribute any relevant expertise to 

the benefit of our community, we’d love 

to hear from you - do please get in touch 

using the email above. Cllr. Kim Fletcher 

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feature 

History 

Made as First 

Mayor of 

Cranbrook 

Honoured 

PHOTOS BY DAVID MEREWETHER 

THE AFFECTION held for Cranbrook shopkeeper Phil 

Mummery was all too evident on St Valentine’s Day 

when he was crowned as the new honorary mayor of 

the town. 

Thanks to Stuart Cleary, whose idea it was to 

see Phil as mayor, he entered the packed Vestry 

Hall to the sound of Town Crier, alias Cllr. Andy 

Fairweather, ringing his bell and announcing his 

arrival. 

The popular man who has dedicated most of his 

life to the town was “crowned” with a mayoral chain 

by parish council chairman Cllr. Kim Fletcher as 

guests raised the roof with cheers. 

Cllr. Fletcher said: “I cannot think of a better 

person to be mayor whether it is a man, woman 

or clown,” a reference to Phil’s love of dressing up 

when taking part in numerous town events. TF 


feature 

Cranbrook is 

the hidden 

gem of the 

South East, 

despite all the 

brickbats 

thrown at it 

during the 

past 30 years. 

A Plea From the Heart 

I MOVED to the town in 1976 for business reasons 

and have never regretted it for a minute. 

I’m going to list some of the assets: an 

outstanding parish church, St Dunstan’s, a town 

museum to be proud of, the impressive Cranbrook 

School complex with pupils from all over the world, 

a fine theatre and, of course, the tallest working 

smock mill in the UK, not to mention the many 

buildings and homes which reflect England’s 

architectural history. 

But what really makes a town are the people, the 

clubs and societies. I daren’t list them. There are so 

many I am sure to miss some! 

Now the brickbats lobbed at us from regional 

and central government. First of all, tourism. The 

Princess Royal opened the Weald Information 

Centre which was the parish council office, the 

borough council’s face in the town and a tourism 

office. Well, over the years the borough office was 

open less and less until it closed at the end of 

last year and info for tourists is not available at 

weekends when most of them 

are about and need information. 

Sandwich, also a historic 

town, in Dover district has a 

tourist office and even a coach 

park which can be used, unlike 

ours. The town seems to have 

had more money spent on it by 

Dover council than our borough 

spends on us. 

After the last local election, 

the idiotic £90-odd million 

complex in Tunbridge Wells was 

put on hold. Perhaps now the council will remember 

Cranbrook exists and spend a little money restoring 

it to some of its former glory. 

The most important help to Cranbrook in recent 

years has been the parish council taking over the car 

parks and keeping them free. I dread to think what 

state the town centre would be in now if charging 

had been brought in. 

What I am saying is, support your parish council, 

vote in local elections, don’t moan, be positive and 

get involved in this unique community. Help make 

Cranbrook and Sissinghurst become the regional 

centre it once was. 

Philip Mummery 

On 28 January I was invited to Cranbrook Primary 

School for a special “thank you assembly,” for 

the years I had been involved with the school as 

a governor and volunteer. I want to give a big, 

big thank you to everyone involved, and to say 

what a lovely atmosphere there was there. I was 

greatly affected by the amount of affection that 

came across. 


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Victory in Europe Day 

feature 

David Riddick, churchwarden at St. Dunstan’s, introduces the 

planned celebrations in Cranbrook for the 75th VE Day 

NO, THIS is nothing to do 

with BREXIT, but celebrating 

the 75th Anniversary of the 

ending of the war in Europe 

on 8 May 1945. You may have 

already noticed that your 

diaries and calendars make no 

mention of a May Day Bank 

Holiday on the first Monday of 

May as the Bank Holiday has 

been moved to Friday 8 May. 

THE NATIONAL PLAN IS: 

At 3.00pm Pipers play Battle’s 

Over and VE 75 Years. Also 

a local dignitary to lead the 

community in the Nation’s 

Toast to the Heroes of WW2. 

In this context the heroes 

include all those involved 

in the war effort not just 

the sailors, soldiers and 

airmen. The British Beer 

& Pub Association will be 

encouraging landlords of pubs 

across the UK to get their 

customers to raise a glass and 

take part in the Nation’s Toast 

to the Heroes of WW2. 

At 6.55pm Town Criers and 

members of communities 

undertake a Cry for Peace 

Around the World. 

At 7.00pm Church Bells 

ring out, followed by local 

festivities. 

On Sunday 10 May at 

10.30am, services are held 

in cathedrals and churches 

across the UK to celebrate 

the peace we enjoy today, 

and remember those who 

lost their lives or were badly 

wounded, but also recognising 

those who kept the nation 

fed and the factories, mines 

and hospitals working during 

those difficult times. The 

services to include the playing 

of the Last Post and Reveille. 

To join in the national 

celebrations, St. Dunstan’s 

Church will be holding a 

special service on the evening 

of Friday 8 May. This service 

will include the Toast to the 

Heroes of WW2,The Cry for 

Peace Around the World and 

end with the ringing of the 

church bells. 

The service on Sunday 10 

May will begin at 10.30am and 

will include the laying up of 

Standards, at the beginning 

and recovering at the end, 

and the playing of the Last 

Post and Reveille. The event 

is intended to encompass the 

local community so include 

Scouts/Cubs/Beavers, Girl 

Guides/Brownies/Rainbows, 

schools and so on. The Town 

Band has been invited to play 

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Dunstan’s where no doubt 

they will reflect the tunes 

of WW2. 

More 

info 

If you would like to become 

involved in any way, then 

please contact Brian on 

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youth 

YOUTH 

COMMENT 

Zachery Phillpot-Brian has his say 

RECENTLY I did an anonymous 

online survey and asked 


residents what the local issues 

were that bothered them. 

I was hoping lack of funding 

to local schools or childhood 

poverty might come up (at 

least 23% of children in the 

area are living in poverty 

with a massive spike of 40% 

in Maidstone) but it didn’t. 

Not one person in over 60 

responses mentioned it. 

That’s alright, I understand. I 

am not having a dig at anyone, 

but I would be lying if said it 

didn’t sadden me. 

The things mentioned were 

– speeding, pot holes, dog 

poo, lack of police presence, 

teenagers with nothing to do, 

vandalising, littering and a lack 

of decent places to eat out. 

So, I am going to write 

about two things. First, I 

guess we are really lucky to 

live in Cranbrook. That the 

mentioned issues are the 

things that play on the minds 

of local people. Especially 

considering, and I know other 

young people feel the same 

way as me, that we live in a 

very troubled country. Two – 

speeding. 

I bet that people assume 

that as a teenager and a guy, 

that speeding wouldn’t bother 

me. That I am probably a boy 

racer; but I’m not. I want to 

live. Or at very least, keep my 

body intact. However, I think 

that there are a lot of other 

local people who don’t. Or 

think maybe they have a force 

field around their car. 

I have seen cars on 

Stone Street, Cranbrook, so 

impatient to get past vehicles 

coming in the opposite 

direction that they mount 

the pavement at speed. How 

someone innocently coming 

out of a shop hasn’t been 

killed is just luck. 

People speeding down the 

High Street when people are 

trying to cross. People so 

impatient to get from A to 

B, they are dicing with not 

only their own life, but with 

other people’s. I have been on 

the receiving end of people 

swerving away from me, just 

in the nick of time, because 

they were busy on their 

phone. Or if you dare hold 

someone up on the road for 

just a second, you get beeped 

or glared at or have angry 

rants mouthed at you. 

So, I guess I am saying 

slow down and calm down! 

Before someone gets seriously 

injured or worse. We clearly 

live in a nice place, so let’s 

try and be nice on the road. 

What’s more important? 

Shaving one precious 

minute off your journey? Or 

someone’s life? 

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spotlight on.. 

Cranbrook 

Tourism Group 

The Cranbrook Tourism Group had its origins 

in the former Cranbrook and Weald Tourism 

and Economic Forum 

THE FORUM had been 

created in 2005 following the 

appointment by Tunbridge 

Wells Borough Council of Trisha 

Spencer as the Cranbrook 

Tourism Development Officer 

operating from the newly 

opened Weald Information 

Centre in Cranbrook. This role 

was subsequently included in 

a new post in 2008, of Rural 

Tourism and Local Economic 

Development Officer. 

Trisha’s work received many 

plaudits and she was largely 

responsible for the creation 

of the “Walk Through Time” 

folders containing suggested 

walks in the district. She was 

also responsible for setting 

up the Tourism and Economic 

Forum which included 

representatives from local 

businesses, TWBC, Parish 

Council, bed and breakfast 

establishments and a host of 

other interested parties. 

History reminds us that the 

country was enveloped in a 

financial crisis in 2008 and 

this led to a squeeze on local 

authority budgets. One of the 

early casualties was the decision 

not to replace Trisha when 

she left. The Forum, however, 

continued but with limited 

funding its ability to deliver 

projects became very difficult. 


Parish Council continued to 

provide representation and what 

little funding was at its disposal. 

By 2013 it was apparent that 

the Forum was no longer an 

effective body. 

Interestingly, what remained 

of the core membership actually 

represented the Museum, the 

Windmill, St. Dunstan’s and 

Cranbrook in Bloom. Since they 

all felt the need to continue 

promoting these attractions 

it was decided in 2015 to 

relaunch the old Forum as The 

Cranbrook Tourism Group under 

the enthusiastic leadership 

of borough councillor, Tom 

Dawlings. 

With the continued valuable 

support of the parish council 

the group has delivered 

the informative “Discover 

Cranbrook” leaflets and 

completed the reprinting of the 

popular “Walk Through Time” 

folders. It has also produced a 

series of full page promotions 

in the Wealden Advertiser 

highlighting our attractions and 

forthcoming major events. 2020 

looks like being another busy 

year for the group. 

The present team comprises: 

• Chairman: Cllr.Tom Dawlings 

• Admin: Graham Holmes 

• Windmill: Ian Burrows 

• Museum: Sue Beavis 

• Cranbrook in Bloom: Marian 

Cumberland 

• St.Dunstan’s: Clare 

Bezuidenhout 

The Group is always looking 

to strengthen its membership. 

If you are keen to become 

involved, contact any of the 

current members. 

Graham Holmes 

The End of the 

Apostrophe 

Society 

Sissinghurst resident 

Carolyn Rolfe on a sad day 

for English grammar 

WHAT A terrible shock it was, last month, to 

read that the Apostrophe Protection Society 

closed its doors and effectively ended the formal 

struggle to protect the apostrophe. Founded 20 

years ago to correct the widespread incorrect 

use of the apostrophe, which was 

widely used and abused (we’ve all 

seen the misuse of MOT’s, HGV’s 

etc), plonked here or there at 

random, with no regard as to 

whether it made sense or not, 

leading to serious confusion to 

those who use correct English 

grammar. 

The founder, chairman John Richards’ first 

success was to get his local library to write CDs 

instead of CD’s. He doggedly persisted with big 

names of stores (I can think of several) but in 

2012 when Waterstones decided to remove their 

apostrophe, he objected, saying if McDonald’s 

and Sainsbury’s can get it right, why can’t they? 

Do they not teach the correct use in schools, 

where an apostrophe is only to be used in the 

possessive, or missing letters, such as the dog’s 

bone, or I can’t instead of cannot? They are never 

to be used in plurals. I saw such abhorrent 

anomalies over the Christmas period, for 

example: Christmas Tree’s, address’s, 

smile your on TV, resident’s and 

visitor’s. 

What should be done? Should we 

stalwarts soldier on and never go out 

without chalk or rubber, and continue to 

alter the greengrocer’s poster or signs (we’ve 

all seen tomato’s !), or should we accept that the 

word “Like” will dominate speech, by replacing 

punctuation and grammar altogether? 

We should all be ardent grammar vigilantes 

and apostrophisers, or must we act like sheep 

and copy the masses? 



The Kings Head 

Staplehurst 

THE KINGS Head public house has been 

at the heart of Staplehurst since the 

17th Century. Today, as the only pub 

in the village, it continues to play and 

important role in the local community. 

The 21st Century Kings Head 

combines old world charm, beams, 

Kentish hops and a roaring log fire with 

a contemporary friendly pub appeal. 

We serve a range of premium lagers 

and traditional cask ales from Shepherd 

Neame, Britain’s oldest brewer. 

In the last 12 months The Kings 

Head has had extensive renovations 

in the kitchen, restaurant, toilets and 

garden areas and we have welcomed 

our new managers Scott and Sabrina 

who are doing a fantastic job making 

new and old regular customers feel very 

welcome. 

Freshly cooked food is served all 

week and has a traditional theme that 

includes favourites such as homemade 

Steak and Ale pie, Fish and Chips, 

Steaks, Burgers and Traditional Roasts 

on Sundays. Sample some of our 

homemade dishes on our specials board 

and why not try our Steak Night every 

Thursday – two Steak meals for £20, 

and Fish Fridays – two freshly in-house 

battered cod, haddock or breaded plaice 

meals for £16. 

Come and try our delicious Sunday 

roasts from 12-6pm, and at 3pm we host 

a meat raffle with any profits going to 

local charities. Join us and you could 

win your dinner for the following week! 

We have a pretty 24-seater separate 

restaurant area that is perfect for dining 

away from the main bar area and can 

also be booked for private functions 

such as christenings, birthdays, 

weddings and wakes. We have a buffet 

menu catering for all requirements. 

Book a table for Mother’s Day on Sunday 22nd March and 

all mums will receive a free dessert. Call 01580 891231 

In addition to having our own darts teams, pool table, 

Sky TV & BT Sports, the pub also stages regular live music 

events: 

Friday 27th March – 9pm, Seamonkeys 

Friday 24th April – 9pm, Get your kicks with Micks hot lips 

May Bank Holiday 

Friday 8th May – 9pm, Outriders 

Saturday 9th May – 2pm-4pm, Jason Allen & BBQ All Day 

Chilled Sunday 10th May – 7pm, Jack Falmer 

Stay in 

touch 

Check out our website for the latest events, 

menus and pub information. 

Follow us on Facebook: 

The King’s Head 2019 (Staplehurst) 

The Kings Head, High Street, Staplehurst, Kent, TN12 0AR 

www.kingsheadstaplehurst.co.uk / 01580 891231 


history 

Cranbrook Museum 

When Cranbrook Museum re-opens for its new 

season in April 2020 there will be two significant 

new exhibits on display writes Mike Huxley, 

chairman of Cranbrook Museum and Local 

History Society 

IN 1857, during the creation of 

an ornamental pool in Leggs 

Wood, Frittenden, two clay 

urns were found. The urns were 

discovered on what is now 

the site of a pond in a wood 

near Knoxbridge, about three 

quarters of a mile east of the 

Roman road from Rochester to 

Hastings. 

The hole in which they 

were found was partly timber 

lined and filled with decayed 

vegetable matter to the depth 

of about 12 feet. They were 

on solid ground at the base of 

the pit and embedded in the 

peat. They were subsequently 

dated to around the first 

century, i.e. during the Roman 

occupation of Britain. This 

perhaps indicates that this 

route was opened fairly early 

in the Roman occupation. The 

pit may have been a well or a 

shaft serving some sepulchral 

or ritual purpose. It would 

seem that two such large and 

narrow-mouthed jars would be 

unlikely to have been used for 

drawing water. Nor, given their 

undamaged condition, could 

they have been dropped into a 

well accidentally. 

Although under the 

control of various Frittenden 

organisations over the years, 

since 1968 the urns have been 

housed in Maidstone Museum 

on a long-term loan, but appear 

never to have been exhibited 

there. In November 2019, 

the urns were permanently 

returned to Frittenden 

Historical Society. The Society 

has now agreed a long-term 

loan to Cranbrook Museum 

where the urns will be on view. 

The Museum re-opens 

on Wednesday 1st April and 

welcomes visitors Tuesday to 

Saturday, 2pm – 4.30pm. During 

April and May there is a special 

exhibition on the history of 

Cranbrook Primary School 

followed in June and July with 

a display of maps and aerial 

photographs of Cranbrook and 

the local area. 

Thank You from Cranbrook Museum 

CRANBROOK MUSEUM 

and Local History Society 

would like to thank the 

growing number of sponsors 

and supporters whose help 

in keeping the museum 

running is very much 

appreciated. The Co-op, who 

supported us as their local 

good cause, Travis Perkins 

who frequently help out 

with materials and tools for 

the maintenance work we 

ABOVE: Alec Cox (Lambert and Foster), 

Liz McGurk (Museum Curator) and Tim 

Duncan (Lambert and Foster) 

do and Lambert and Foster, our most recent financial supporter. 

Cllr. Sean Holden secured funding through the KCC Local 

Members Grants Scheme to support our development of outreach 

boxes and Cranbrook Parish Council has awarded grants in the past, 

the most recent of which was £500 towards a Cranbrook Colony 

watercolour. 

Any other businesses or individuals who would like to become 

a sponsor are always welcome and are invited to contact us at the 

museum. 

come 

along 

Please come along and see if you can spot 

yourself in one of the many school photos or, 

perhaps, where you live on a map or aerial 

photograph. www.cranbrookmuseum.org / 

Facebook @cranbrookmuseum 


comment 

Affordable Housing – 

What does it Mean? 

Cllr. Garry Pethurst says councils must build more houses 

IT IS often repeated, but 

nonetheless true, that 

the country is in the 

midst of a housing 

crisis. 

We are 

concerned that 

there are 

not enough 

“affordable” houses. 

We are obsessed with 

affordability, when the 

truth is that all houses must be 

affordable. There is no benefit to 

society in expecting anybody to 

take on a property which they are 

unable to afford, but affordability 

means different things to different 

people in different parts of the 

country. 

The recently published TWBC 

Draft Local Plan (DLP) refers 

to affordability in some detail, 

the emerging Cranbrook and 

Sissinghurst Neighbourhood Plan 

(NDP) naturally highlights this 

as a local problem. At the end of 

2019 Kent County Council set up 

a Select Committee to investigate 

the situation further and canvas 

local views. 

Since about 2014, the most 

commonly used definition for 

affordability is that preferred by 

the government. This identifies 

property as being affordable if it 

is at least 20% below the average 

local market value and applies 

to properties which are available 

either to rent or buy. 

An alternative view of 

affordability could be based on 

percentage of disposable income 

spent on housing costs. For 

example, the amount of rent paid 

in the South East as a proportion of 

net salary has risen from 31.2% in 

2000 to 49.8% in 2020. We should 

be seeking to reverse this trend. 

It is possible to keep the cost 

of maintaining a property low, by 

ensuring all new houses are built 

to the highest standards with 

insulation, triple glazing etc. If we 

reduce other costs, such as travel 

to work, it should mean that the 

true cost of living in a property 

will be kept low, ensuring it is truly 

affordable. 

LAND TRUSTS 

There are schemes, such as 

Community Land Trusts (CLT), 

which should be more widely 

supported to ensure that properties 

are made available to local people 

at a substantial discount, which is 

protected when the property is 

sold on. 


comment 

In our parish, the Crane Valley 

Land Trust has been set up by 

individuals concerned at the lack 

of truly affordable local housing 

and in response to an employment 

survey carried out which identified 

300 local workers who could 

not afford to live in the parish 

including key workers such as 

teachers and nurses. 

This may be the nearest thing we 

currently have to social housing, 

therefore land put forward for 

development should be offered to 

the local CLT, or equivalent, first. 

The current definition of 

affordable housing is not fit for 

purpose, particularly in London and 

the South East, as it favours larger 

developers, who can manipulate 

local market values on which the 

discount is calculated. This can be 

done by building only larger, more 

expensive properties, or by limiting 

the supply, keeping prices high. 

AFFORDABLE RENT 

The true cost of affordable renting 

needs to be considered, since many 

individuals are reliant on housing 

benefit in order to be able to 

afford the higher rents now being 

charged. This puts an extra burden 

and stress on those individuals and 

the civil servants responsible for 

administering the benefits system. 

The logic is to reduce rents to a 

level where housing benefit does 

not need to be claimed. This may 

not be enforceable in the private 

sector, but should be in the public 

sector, which must also be looked 

upon to increase the supply of 

properties available for rent. We 

must enable more local authorities 

to build housing for local people. 

Local 

Data 

At the last census (2011) the 

parish had a population of 6,717, 

which is predicted to rise, and 

could be as much as 11,000 by 2036, at the 

end of the current Local Plan period. 

As at the beginning of 2020, the average 

house price is £506,000, however, the parish is 

one of six areas identified in the DLP as being 

areas of income deprivation. Research carried 

out in 2017 suggested the average earnings 

for workers in the parish was £28.2k per 

annum. Assuming this figure has increased 

in line with inflation, this will now be 

approximately £30k and would mean that the 

average house would be 16 times the average 

salary, compared to the national figure of 7.8 

times, and 12.8 times for the Tunbridge Wells 

borough. This makes the parish one of the 

most unaffordable areas in the country for 

local people. 

COME AND SEE US AT THE 

WHITE HORSE 

We have launched 

our new menu and 

are now serving our 

home cooked Sunday 

lunches. 

We will have Entertainment & Live Music 

throughout the year and have plans for 

specially themed events and weekends 

coming together nicely. 

Watch this space for special menu launches 

and new offers coming soon. 

Christine, David & Katie 


feature 

Absolutely 

LAMBTASTIC! 

A young shepherdess from Egerton is rapidly making a name for herself producing the very 

best of fresh British lamb, writes Chris Lawson 

PHOTOS BY CHRIS LAWSON 

HARRIET HEATHCOTE is just 21 

years old and like many others 

is concerned about climate 

change and the environmental 

challenges facing society today. 

The Heathcote family have 

been farming in Kent since the 

1920s and Harriet prides herself 

on being a fourth generation 

shepherdess. “It was something I 

was born into” she says. “Dad has 

always been a sheep farmer so I 

was brought up doing this”. 

As well as looking after her own 

mixed flock of 300 Suffolks, North 

Country Mules and Romney 

sheep, Harriet is a contract 

shepherdess for other local 

“A LOT OF 

PEOPLE 

TODAY ARE 

CONCERNED 

ABOUT 

ANIMAL 

WELFARE AND 

WANT TO 

KNOW HOW 

THE SHEEP 

HAVE BEEN 

REARED” 

farmers. “I’ve seen the bottom 

fall out of the livestock market. 

Prices for sheep are virtually nil 

and certainly don’t represent 

the amount of hard work and 

dedication that goes into rearing 

and producing a quality flock 

these days,” she adds. 

Concerned not just about 

the future of livestock prices, 

but also the rising conflict with 

veganism and a major campaign 

that suggests livestock are 


feature 

major contributors to global 

warming, Harriet launched 

‘Lambtastic Meatboxes’ 

this summer. Keen to 

make a difference, Harriet 

collaborates with a local 

abattoir in Heathfield and a 

butcher in Pluckley, to bring 

the most succulent, fresh, 

local and sustainable, lamb, 

hogget and mutton, to the 

table. “A lot of people today 

are concerned about animal 

welfare and want to know 

how the sheep have been 

reared. Our flock graze rich 

permanent pasture, which 

contributes to the fantastic 

taste”. Every sheep farmer 

will tell you that lamb is 

naturally rich in protein, 

low in sodium, and provides 

multiple vitamins and 

minerals that contribute to 

good health and well-being. 

“I want to produce for local 

people who want the best 

home reared sheep,” says 

Harriet. 

Being a small start-up 

with no external investment, 

marketing budgets are nonexistent. 

“I’ve been using 

social media and doing it all 

myself, but word of mouth 

recommendation has so far 

been my most successful 

ally”. 

“I WANT TO PRODUCE FOR LOCAL PEOPLE 

WHO WANT THE BEST HOME REARED SHEEP” 

FOXY 

LOCKS 

KENT 

Locksmith 

07795 254834 


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feature 

My Life as a 

Guinea Pig! 

For former parish council chairman Bridget Veitch 

a trip to the doctors is something she has been 

doing almost every year since she was born. 

RATHER THAN ill-health 

prompting the journeys to 

London, I have been helping in 

a unique national survey on the 

health of children born at the 

end of the 1940s and data is still 

being taken today. 

About eight weeks after my 

birth my mother was visited 

by a health visitor and asked 

questions about her pregnancy, 

expenditures and the experience 

with the new baby. 

This was the largest survey 

ever done and Dr James Douglas 

was the man given the job of 

conducting it. 91 per cent of 

babies born in a week in early 

March were visited and some 

13,687 mothers. The survey 

team is still in contact with 

about 3,000 of those children. 

Each survey looks at different 

aspects, resulting in a huge 

amount of data which is mined 

by scientists the world over as 

it is the biggest, oldest set of 

information. 

The data has been used 

in the establishment of the 

welfare state and all sorts of 

health and social issues, such 

as smoking, the impact of 

poverty on children’s health and 

educational achievements. 

Insight46 is the most recent 

survey which looked into brain 

changes accompanying old 

age. Held in London with 500 

of us each spending an hour 

in the MRI scanner at the 

Macmillan cancer centre. Try 

this for yourself! 15 cards with 

unrelated words, nouns, verbs, 

adverbs, one per page. Look at 

each for five seconds then see 

how many you can remember. 

Others included remembering a 

name and address, or associating 

names and occupations with 

photographs or a complicated 

diagram. Phase two will be 

completed in the next few 

months. Early indications are 

that lifestyle between the ages 

of 30-40 may have an important 

impact on aging. 

At a 65th birthday party held 

in London presenters described 

how the survey had changed 

their lives. One person had a 

medical condition identified of 

which they were unaware and, 

because it was seen early, was 

cured. Another who came from a 

■ Brain scan results from an Insight46 study 

large family said the importance 

of being singled out for the 

survey had given her confidence 

to become a high achiever. 

I thoroughly enjoy taking part 

in these surveys and the recent 

“The Loveliest Castle in the World” 

one provided a thorough MOT 

of my brain and cardio-vascular 

functions. I dread to think how 

much my memory has changed 

over the past two years! 

Bridget Veitch 

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Phoenix 

Design and 

Construction 

WHO WE ARE 

We are a local construction 

company delivering a range of 

projects for our customers. With 

our office and yard based in the 

Cranbrook area we predominantly 

serve the local area as well as 

further afield within the South 

East. 

AIM 

When Phoenix started the idea 

was to provide a tailored solution 

to our customers’ construction 

needs. Whether that meant 

taking on all the administration 

and organising of architects and 

other professionals required at 

the planning stage or fitting out a 

bathroom with the goods chosen 

by a customer. 

In short, our aim is to streamline 

the whole construction process 

for our clients to help alleviate the 

stress of commissioning or running 

a project and make it a memorable 

process for all the right reasons 

HOW WE DO THIS 

We have developed a network of 

building professionals to aid in the 

pre planning/design phase as well 

as having a combination of highly 

experienced, fully qualified trade 

teams combined with specialist subcontractors, 

which allows us to be 

fully flexible and adaptable to your 

needs. 

PROJECT PICTURES 

These pictures show one of our 

most recently finished projects 

for Rye museum. We were asked 

to construct a first floor office 

extension over an existing courtyard 

area. Being grade II listed the 

work was done with sympathetic 

consideration towards some of 

the more traditional materials and 

finishes, such as the lime render 

and keeping the original brick wall, 

whilst making sure the new building 

meets the most up to date building 

control regulations and structural 

requirements. 

This project also included an 

Contact 

us 

awful lot of bespoke joinery and it’s 

something we produce and fit a lot 

for our clients. If you take a look 

at our Facebook page you can also 

see a beautiful set of four hardwood 

wardrobe doors with antique mirror 

inserts that we recently completed. 

All were expertly hand painted 

rather than sprayed for an authentic 

traditional finish. 

Please take 

a look at our 

website or 

Facebook 

page to have a look at a 

selection of our completed 

and ongoing works, and 

if you think we could be of service to you or 

have any queries please don’t hesitate to contact us: 

Office: 01580 857718 Mobile: 07587 272928 

Email: info@phoenixdc.co.uk 

Facebook: @PhoenixDesignandConstruction 


feature 

New Era of 

Education 

High Weald Academy’s New 

Building is now officially open 

THE HIGH Weald Academy’s new 

21st century building has been 

officially opened. To celebrate, the 

unveiling ceremony revealed the 

winning students of the academy 

artwork competition, whose work 

will be displayed in the school to 

commemorate the event. 

Mr Daniel Hatley, executive 

principal for academy, said: “There’s 

really no comparison between the 

new building and what we had before. 

It’s visible to see as you walk around 

the school that the students and staff 

enjoy and are extremely proud of the 

new surroundings. On behalf of The 

High Weald Academy community, I 

would like to thank everyone involved, 

who I know worked tirelessly on the 

project to build our new school.” 

The multi-million pound build 

started in July 2018 and in November 

2019 staff and students moved 

into their new school. The school 

was previously housed in a 1970s 

building, which had been modified 

over the years to meet educational 

requirements, but was deemed no 

longer fit for purpose. Today The 

High Weald Academy building is one 

of the most state of the art learning 

environments in the area and boasts 

69 climate controlled classrooms and 

offices, which include eight science 

laboratories, three art rooms, five 

ICT suites and a purpose built drama 

studio. 

Annie Watsham, founder of Grierson 

Galleries, located at The Hive in 

Cranbrook, said: “We were delighted 

by the response of the artwork 

competition. Judging of the 200 entries 

was an extremely difficult task; the 

creativity and imagination shown in 

all the entries was wonderful. Today, 

it’s been an absolute pleasure to meet 

the winners. The detail in their pieces 

successfully captured elements of the 

Weald and inspired the judges.” 

ABOVE: Winners of The High Weald Academy Artwork 

Competition. Left to right: Max Bunyan – Year 7, Sam 

De Sagun – Year 9 and James Sanders – Year 7 

BELOW: Head of School with students from The High 

Weald Academy outside the new building 


Let’s Cook! 

In the 

Garden 

CEPHALONIAN 

MEAT PIE 

I have been making 

this Greek pie for 

more years than I care 

to admit. It is great 

in the winter straight 

from the oven and 

just as good cold in 

the summer with a 

side salad. You can use 

beef, pork or lamb or 

just two of these. Be 

warned the mixture 

has to be rested 

overnight before 

cooking for a great 

flavour! 

INGREDIENTS 

Serves 8 

740-800g lean meat 

4 tbsp Greek olive oil 

2 medium or one large 

onion finely chopped 

4 large cloves of garlic 

Quarter tsp ground 

nutmeg 

1 tsp ground cinnamon 

1 level tsp fennel seeds, 

pounded 

1 tsp dried oregano 

100ml (3 fl oz) dry white 

wine 

1x400g tin chopped 

tomatoes 

75g paella rice 

20g chopped parsley 

75g provolone or 

Gruyere cheese 

2 medium eggs 

1x500g pack of puff 

pastry 

Salt and freshly ground 

black pepper 

You will need a baking 

tray measuring 17.5 x 

25.5cm 

1 Heat two tbsp of oil in 

a large frying pan, fry the 

meat in batches, spoon 

off any fat but retain the 

meat juices. Set aside. 

2 In the same pan add 

the remaining olive 

oil and fry the onion 

gently until soft. Add 

garlic, spices, fennel 

and oregano and stir. 

Pour in the wine and let 

it bubble for a minute 

or two then add the 

tomatoes, rice and 

reserved meat juices. Stir 

and simmer for about 

15 minutes until rice 

has plumped up. Add 

parsley. Set aside to cool. 

3 Cut the meat into very 

small chunks. When the 

tomato and rice mixture 

is cold, mix in the 

meat, cheese and one 

beaten egg. Cover and 

refrigerate for at least 

two hours or preferably 

all night to let the 

flavours develop. 

4 When you are ready 

to cook the pie, set 

the oven at 200C (fan), 

400F gas 6. Roll out the 

pastry into two squares, 

one slightly larger than 

the other. Beat the 

remaining egg. Put the 

meat mixture into the 

centre of the smaller 

piece of pastry leaving a 

quarter of an inch border 

brushed with beaten 

egg. Put the other piece 

of pasty on the top and 

carefully press the two 

edges together then 

trim. Make three slits on 

the top of the pie and 

glaze with remaining 

egg. 

5 Put the pie onto a 

baking tray and pop 

into the oven. After 20 

minutes reduce the heat 

to 180C (350F or gas 

mark 4) for a further 30- 

40 minutes. The pastry 

should be golden brown. 

Bon Appetite! 

Emma Fraser 

AS WE teeter on the edge 

of spring – the snowdrops 

already becoming a 

memory – it is a great time 

to look at the garden and 

ask oneself “what needs 

improving?” 

When Christmas gave 

way to 2020, I marvelled 

at the resilience of many 

of the winter flowering 

plants and vowed to increase my collection. 

Winter can be such a bleak time but believe it or not there are 

many ways of brightening up a corner or two with colour and 

scent. 

Perhaps my favourite winter shrub is Sarcococca, an 

evergreen whose tiny white flowers have a strong, sweet scent; 

just a couple of sprigs will fill a room with a delightful aroma. 

With box blight sweeping the country, Sarcococca – also known 

as Christmas box or sweet box – is an excellent alternative. 

There are several varieties but the one I grow is S. confusa 

whose maximum height at maturity is around 6ft. Grow it free 

standing or as a low hedge. 

Believed to be a native of China, this winter beauty is easily 

grown in a multitude of positions from full sun to part shade 

and is not fussy about soil. After the flowers have bloomed 

come the black berries which are loved by birds and the plant 

has rightfully gained an RHS Award of Garden Merit. Prune it 

lightly to keep its shaped immediately after it has flowered or 

leave it to do its own thing. 

A very close second to the sweet 

box and entirely different is a real 

favourite of mine, Garrya eliptica 

“James Roof”. A leathery-leaved 

evergreen tree, it enhances its foliage 

in mid-winter with a riot of amazing 

silver-green silky catkins at least 1ft 

long. James Roof, a male plant, has 

the showier flowers while the female 

has smaller tassels followed by 

purple-brown fruits in the autumn. 

Grow in well-drained soil in a 

sheltered position and while they 

will put up with shade a sunny site will produce the best 

catkins. A native of California and Oregon it can grow to 16ft at 

maturity. It really needs no pruning but, if you must, carry out 

surgery immediately after flowering as catkins are born on the 

previous season’s wood. 

I know it seems ages until we will be seeing our winter 

flowering favourites again but now is a great time to give them 

a flying start. Penny Royal 



SAM MILLING 

DAVID SELLMAN 

Step into spring 

at Scotney Castle 

WITH THE days getting longer and the woolly 

scarfs being cast aside, it’s great to feel the sun 

on your face and notice the season 

evolving. From the swathes of 

daffodils under the trees in 

March to delicate pink blossom 

blowing across the paths or the 

vivid bursts of colour from the 

rhododendrons in May, Scotney 

Castle is a spring delight. 

Take in the view of the 

picturesque garden and estate from 

the Old Castle or mansion house or pull 

on your walking boots and get outside. No visit 

is complete without a stop in the tea-room to 

rest weary legs or a browse of the shop and 

plant centre to take a touch of spring home 

with you. 

There are many reasons to visit over the 

coming weeks, with plenty of events and 

activities to interest you. Whether it’s a 

Monday morning coffee or a mid-week lunch 

with friends, an after-school ice-cream or 

wearing the grandchildren out before lunch, 

plan ahead for one of the events below. 

DAVID SELLMAN 

IMMERSE YOURSELF IN NATURE 

You can join a guided estate walk to discover 

some of the more far flung corners of Scotney 

Castle, or if you prefer to stick to the hard 

paths in the garden, then why not join garden 

talk. Walled Garden Wednesdays start 

again in early April, covering a 

variety of topics to help you 

successfully grow fruit and 

vegetables at home. See the 

website for details. 

There is no charge to join 

these walks or talks, just normal 

admission applies. Booking in 

advance is not required. 

GUIDED ESTATE WALKS: 

Scotney History – People & Places: 1-8 March, 

11.30am-1pm & 2pm-3.30pm 

Signs of Spring – 25 April - 25 May, 

11.30am-1pm & 2pm-3.30pm 

GARDEN TOURS: 

Trees of Interest – 30 March - 10 April 

(weekdays only), 10.30am-12pm & 12pm 

-1.30pm 

Rhododendron Walks –13 April - 15 May 

(weekdays only), 10.30am -12pm & 12pm- 

1.30pm 

Walled Garden Wednesdays – 8 April - 9 

December, every alternative Wednesday, 

2pm-3pm 

SAM MILLING 

BEAUTIFUL BLOOMS AT THE 

FLOWER FESTIVAL 

Inhale the floral fragrance in the air 

and admire the colourful displays 

during the Flower Festival this May. 

Tour the home of Betty Hussey, who 

loved to pick flowers from the garden 

to bring indoors, and stroll around the 

late spring garden taking in the views 

and scents of the Rhododendrons and 

kalmias. 

For seasoned gardeners and keen 

amateurs, join a walk or talk with 

our knowledgeable garden team to 

learn more about nurturing flowers. 

Creative flower workshops and 

photography courses will also be 

taking place. 



NURTURE YOUR SOUL AND ENHANCE 

YOUR WELLBEING 

Lend your voice and join our pop-up choir to 

help celebrate spring and the National Trust’s 

125th anniversary. A four minute anthem will 

pass along a wave of song across National Trust 

properties in the South East, with lyrics inspired 

by supporters. 

Spring Song Choir – Saturday 16 May, 8.30am- 

11am (free event but booking essential) 

Or stride out at sunrise with our rangers to 

hear the dawn chorus across the estate. Their 

knowledge will take you to the special places 

with the best views and you’ll learn how to 

identify some of our most iconic bird species by 

sound and by sight. Pull up a chair in the tearoom 

afterwards for a full English breakfast and a 

tea or coffee. 

Dawn Chorus Walk – Wednesday 27 May, 6am- 

9am, £18 per person (booking essential) 

SPRING DELIGHTS IN THE SHOP 

New seasonal ranges are bringing a 

fresh look and smell to the shop. From 

grapefruit and lime candles and reed 

diffusers, to spring scarves and accessories 

and new crockery inspired by the lush 

healthy foliage lining the streams at 

Nymans. Browse the shelves for this 

season’s new arrivals or pick up a pot of 

National Trust jam or a tasty selection of 

biscuits. 

TASTY TREATS IN THE TEA ROOM 

Have you tried the scone of the month 

at Scotney Castle? As well as the fruit 

and cheese varieties baked in our kitchen 

every day, there’s a seasonal scone each 

month to tempt you further. To make your 

afternoon tea even more special, why 

not try a prosecco afternoon tea? They’re 

available every afternoon in the tea room 

and will certainly add a sparkle to your 

afternoon. 

LEARN A SKILL, INDULGE 

A PASSION 

If one of your resolutions for 2020 

was to learn a new skill, then why 

not consider a workshop at Scotney 

Castle? We have a variety on offer 

this spring, led by local experts 

using the garden and meadows as 

their inspiration. Classes are small 

and pre-booking is essential on all 

of these workshops. 

Basket Making Workshop – 

Saturday 14 March, 9am-4.30pm, 

£70 per person 

Meadow Painting in Mixed Media 

– Wednesday 18 March, 10am- 

12.30pm, £40 per person 

Garden Printmaking Workshop 

– Saturday 28 March, Saturday 

9 May & Wednesday 13 May, 

11am-4pm, £40 per person 

Spring Photography Workshop 

– Wednesday 20 May and 

Saturday 23 May, 2.30pm-6pm, 

£25 per person 

CHRIS LACEY 

RACHEL WHITING 

BRING THE KIDS FOR A 

FUN DAY OUT 

From school holidays to bank 

holidays or weekend days 

out for all the family, there’s 

plenty for children to enjoy 

this spring at Scotney Castle. 

Book worms can swap their 

World Book Day token in 

the shop and take part in a 

trail over World Book Day 

Weekend. Then Easter sees the 

return of our Cadbury Easter 

Egg Hunts, this year with two 

trails to choose between, for 

kids of different ages. More 

activities and challenges will 

keep young, inquisitive minds 

occupied come May half term. 

World Book Day Weekend – 

7-8 March 

Cadbury Easter Egg Hunt – 

2-19 April, £3 per child 

May Half Term Trail – 

23-31 May, £2 per child 

More 

So, however you 

decide to welcome in 

spring, we hope to see 

you at Scotney Castle 

over the coming 

weeks. 

For further 

information or to 

book onto any events, 

please call 01892 

893820 or visit our 

website, 

www.nationaltrust. 

org.uk/scotney-castle 

Please note, normal 

admission charges 

apply to some events. 

Please check the 

website for details. 


EST 

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Chartered Accountants 

helping you, your business 

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We specialise in farms, families, trusts and estates and have a 

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At Handelsbanken, relationship banking still 

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To find out how you might benefit from more personal 

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out & about legal 

From our 

Friendly Experts 

Buss Murton’s lawyers offer their expert advice 

FAMILY LAW 

Can I obtain an immediate divorce 

Q without blaming my spouse? 

At the time of writing it is not possible 

A to apply for an immediate divorce 

without blaming your spouse. It is hoped this 

will soon change as there is new legislation 

being debated which will introduce a system 

of no-fault divorce. This legislation had 

its first reading in the House of Lords on 7 

January with a second on 5 February. Further 

information will be available soon. 

How long will a divorce take from 

Q start to finish? 

The divorce process can take some 

A time and the application for a divorce 

takes between six to nine months and can be 

longer depending on the court’s resources. 

The associated financial matters can take 

up to two years to resolve if there are court 

proceedings. All matters can be resolved 

sooner if a couple use the alternative 

methods of mediation and collaboration to 

come to an amicable agreement. 

I am separated from the mother of 

Q our child and we are having difficulty 

agreeing who our child lives with and when 

my child will see me, what should I do? 

The first step is to discuss this between 

A the two of you to see if you can reach 

a compromise focusing on your child’s best 

interests. If not, there are various options 

open to you and it is important to take legal 

advice as soon as possible. If you usually 

make the arrangements yourselves you may 

need additional support from a solicitor 

who is able to guide you to an agreement via 

mediation, negotiation, collaborative law or 

ultimately within the court process. 

It is always best to try to resolve matters 

as amicably as possible by mediation or 

collaboration as you and the mother will 

always need to communicate, and these 

processes help maintain relations. 

JULIE TAYLOR 

Partner, Family & Divorce 

For a free 30-minute 

consultation to discuss 

any matters involving 

separation, divorce, 

finances or arrangements for children, 

please contact Julie Taylor on T: 01580 712 

215 or E: jtaylor@bussmurton.co.uk and 

quote the reference Parish Cake – Spring 

2020’ 

PROPERTY LAW 

Changes to Capital Gains Tax (CGT) rules 

on the disposal of residential property by 

individuals come into force on 6 April 2020. 

I own a property which was originally 

Q my main residence but which I now 

rent out. Do the Capital Gains Tax changes 

proposed affect me? 

Under the current regulations it is 

A possible to deduct ‘letting relief’ of up 

to £40,000 from any capital gain. However, 

under the new rules coming into force on 

6 April 2020, the relief will no longer be 

available unless the letting of your property 

occurred whilst you were still living there 

(such as sharing the property with a lodger). 

If you were not sharing occupancy of the 

property with your tenant when it was 

let out, then the relief will no longer be 

available when you dispose of the property. 

I am selling my property which was 

Q my main residence until I rented it 

out a few years ago. I understand that I 

will be eligible to a reduction in the capital 

gains tax payable for the last few months 

of my ownership under Principal Private 

Residence relief. Are there any changes that 

will affect me? 

Under the current rules, as long as the 

A owner has occupied the property as 

their main residence at some stage, then the 

final 18 months of ownership are treated as 

a period of occupation regardless of whether 

the property was occupied in those final 18 

months. This is known as the final period 

exemption (forming part of PPR relief). From 

6 April 2020 the relief is to be reduced from 

18 months to nine months. 

When must I report my capital gain 

Q from the sale of property? 

Currently, on the sale of property you 

A must report any capital gain on your 

self-assessment return and pay any resulting 

tax payable by 31 January the year following 

the gain was made. If you sell property 

on or after 6 April 2020, a provisional 

calculation must be sent to HMRC within 30 

days following completion of the sale and 

the payment of any CGT due must also be 

made within 30 days of completion to avoid 

interest and potential penalties being levied 

by HMRC. 

KERRY CARTER 

Partner, Residential 

Property and Private Client 

We are happy to assist 

with any questions. Please 

feel free to contact Kerry 

Carter on T: 01580 712 215 or E: kCarter@ 

bussmurton.co.uk and quote reference 

‘Parish Cake – Spring 2020’ 

further 

info 

Clermont House, High Street, 

Cranbrook, TN17 3DN 

01580 712 215 or info@bussmurton.co.uk 

www.bussmurton.co.uk 


update 

News 

and views from Cranbrook 

& Sissinghurst Parish Council 

Budget Precept 

I WAS appointed chairman 

to the Policy & Resources 

committee in April 2019 which 

is responsible for the financial 

aspect of the Parish Council. 

Every December budgets are 

set for each of the council’s 

committees. The actual sums 

we spend in each committee 

are below. These figures do 

not take into account the 

fees we charge, but show 

the responsibility we take as 

councillors. 

Policy and Resources £263k 

Environmental Management £70K 

Burials and Properties £11k 

Economic & Community £9k 

Contingency £3k 

With the able assistance 

from former Councillor Brian 

Swann, and his considerable 

experience in budget 

projections, the 2020-21 

precept budget was presented 

and accepted at the full 

council meeting in January. 

The overall budget for 

2020-21 is £356k, compared to 

last year of £336k, an increase 

of £20,000. Last year the 

precept did not change, and 

the previous year it went up 

1.4%. 

There are two main 

changes that have resulted 

in increased costs. First, 

Tunbridge Wells Borough 

Council no longer provides 

services from the Weald 

Information Centre, so the 

parish now has to pick up all 

of the costs, about £8,000 per 

annum. 

Secondly, our clerks are 

dealing with more and more 

work so instead of hiring a 

temporary clerk, we are doing 

some succession planning and 

taking on a new staff member. 

Due to these increased 

costs, the parish council 

element of your council tax 

bill will increase by £6.19 this 

year (4.8%). The figures are 

based on Band D property 

categories and 2,784 houses in 

the parish. All of the detailed 

figures are available on the 

parish council website. 

A major change in the 

coming years will be the 

exciting launch of the 

Community Centre project. 

It goes without saying that 

there will be significant costs 

involved, but due to extremely 

prudent budgeting in recent 

years, some cash has already 

been earmarked but there 

will have to be fund raising 

schemes to assist the venture. 

I intend reporting in the 

Cake on a regular basis as to 

the costs associated with the 

Community Centre. Should 

you have any observations or 

issues regarding the parish 

council finances that you wish 

to discuss please let me know. 

Cllr. Robin Beck 

Is it Still Worth Doing a 

Neighbourhood Plan? 

THIS WAS the question that 

members of the Cranbrook and 

Sissinghurst Neighbourhood 

Development Plan (NDP) 

Steering Group were asking 

themselves at the end of 

2019. Having spent 

years of time and 

effort writing a 

draft plan based 

on the evidence 

collected 

through a 

series of public 

engagement events, 

workshops and further 

research, the dream of 

being able to influence 

the spatial distribution and 

scale of development in the 

parish seemed dead. 

GOVERNMENT’S 

EARLY PROMISES 

The words of Greg Clark 

speaking in 2010 on his vision 

for local communities now 

appear vacuous: “When people 

know that they will get proper 

support to cope with the 

demands of new development; 

when they can have a proper 

say over what these homes will 

look like and when they can 

influence where those homes 

will go, they will have a reason 

to say “yes” to growth.” (Better 

Planning: From Principle to 

Practice speech given to Localis 

on 28.11.10). 

It is little wonder then, that 

ABOVE: Cllr. 

Nancy Warne 

the local backlash to the recent 

draft Local Plan has seen an 

increasingly organised and 

vocal number of protest groups 

who are objecting to both the 

scale and nature of proposed 

development in the 

parish. 

PLANNING 

UNDERMINED 

In the nine 

years since 

the Localism 

Act was passed, 

the government 

has introduced a 

number of subsequent 

measures which have actively 

undermined the planner’s 

ability to deliver on the 

vision of community-led 

development. These include 

permitted development rights, 

cuts to local authority budgets 

and planning departments, 

aligned with financial 

incentives for house building 

and community infrastructure 

provision, and of course the 

doubling of house building 

targets. 

MAKING PLACES 

FOR PEOPLE 

One of the areas that locallywritten 

policies are essential 

is in the aspiration for high 

quality design. Design is not 

just thinking about the look 

of an individual building or 


development, but is much 

broader in its consideration of 

the many elements that create 

pleasant places for people to 

live in. It is vital to think about 

the layout of streets and public 

realm spaces, ensuring that 

new developments are wellconnected, 

inviting and safe for 

pedestrians and cyclists. 

By incorporating the excellent 

work of both the Cranbrook 

Conservation Area Committee 

and the High Weald AONB 

Unit, the neighbourhood plan 

can ensure that the historic 

character of the existing 

settlements and landscape is 

respected and enhanced. 

Creating new homes 

which respond to the climate 

emergency through policies 

which encourage energy 

efficiency and flood mitigation 

measures, as well as protecting 

green open spaces are also 

examples of how the local voice 

can be respected. 

ACTIVE COMMUNITY 

INVOLVEMENT 

The NDP research shows that 

the parish needs more smaller 

unit and affordable homes. 

These can be delivered through 

local policies on housing mix 

and a good integration of 

different housing types. 

Greater community input at 

an early stage in the planning 

application process through 

representation can establish 

clear local design aspirations 

in a manner that cannot be 

ignored by developers and 

planners. 

EDUCATION OF COMMUNITY 

REPRESENTATIVES 

The education of local 

councillors, at both parish 

and borough level, about the 

importance of good design is 

a key factor to strengthening 

the policies and ensuring 

that the leaders and decisionmakers 

can properly support 

community wishes. 

THE FUTURE OF 

THE NDP 

Following a rather depressing 

NDP Steering Group meeting 

in December I sought an 

urgent meeting with Stephen 

Baughen, head of planning 

at TWBC in January to 

discuss the future of the 


Neighbourhood Plan. He was 

encouraging and is keen for 

the NDP to progress as soon 

as possible, pledging extra 

support from his officers to 

get us to the next stage. 

The NDP group will move 

forward to deliver a draft plan 

for public consultation as 

soon as possible. 

Cllr. Nancy Warne 

Welcome to Cllr. Wendy Waters, 

co-opted onto the parish 

council in January 2020. 

Need a hand turning your ideas into 

something to be proud of? 

Re-vamp your marketing materials 

and improve your brand identity. 

stationery 

logo design 

newsletters 

event marketing materials 

You need great images to look 

your best on social media, on your 

website and in your advertising 

and brochures. 

headshots and staff portraits 

event photography 

brochure/marketing imagery 

product shots 

magazines & booklets 

websites 

get in touch 

contact@fraserallen.co.uk 07545 977431 fraserallen.co.uk

local legends 

John and 

Ann Gurr 

John and Ann Gurr tell Trisha Fermor of their 

long floral association with Sissinghurst 

WHERE DID YOU MEET? 

A: At Cranbrook tennis club 

in 1963. I was a teacher but 

wanted to be an archaeologist. 

I went to Canada on a teacher 

exchange for a year and our 

friendship carried on at a 

distance. 

J: I was an agricultural worker 

and corn merchant rep and 

when we married in 1968 we 

lived at Chart Sutton working 

with hops and fruit. Ann was 

born in Fairlight, East Sussex, 

and I was born in Sissinghurst. 

My ancestors had been in 

the village for years and 

Gurrs Cottages were built by 

one of my predecessors who 

forgot to put in the staircase! 

My grandparents ran the 

Windmill pub [now derelict] 

on the way into Cranbrook. My 

grandmother on my mother’s 

side walked out one day and 

was never seen again. 

HOW DID YOU BECOME KEEN 

GROWERS? 

A: I was headmistress of 

Colliers Green School and 

growing sweet peas and 

runner beans at home. When 

I left the school I began 

growing tomatoes, herbs and 

herbaceous plants. I did an 

RHS course at Hadlow College 

and then got side-tracked 

into growing tomatoes on a 

big scale, 2,000 plants a year! 

I grow more than 30 different 

varieties and Sungold is my 

favourite. 

HOW DO YOU SELL YOUR 

PRODUCE? 

A: We ran the Cranbrook 

Farmers’ Market for a long 

time, taking it over from the 

council, and loved doing my 

stall inside. I was delighted 

when Princess Anne visited 

one day and shook our hands. 

We also had stalls at Tenterden 

and Rolvenden. We still visit 

markets, boot fairs and other 

events including Nuts in May 

in Cranbrook. 

DO YOU HAVE CHILDREN? 

J: Yes, Karen and Julian and two 

grandchildren Daisy and Lori. 

The cottage we live in was left 

to us in 1979 but was almost 

derelict and we did not move in 

until 1983. We bought 11 acres; 

Julian has five where he grows 

lots of flowers for sale. 

WHAT DO YOU DO IN YOUR 

SPARE TIME? 

J: I used to be a member of 

Cranbrook Golf Club until it 

closed. We both love horse 

racing, both jumping and 

flat, and belong to an owners’ 

syndicate. 

A: I just love being in the quiet 

of the countryside. I love trees, 

dogs and looking at things 

growing. 

WHAT DAILY PAPER DO 

YOU READ? 

J: Daily Mail. 

A: I do not buy a paper, 

it would be bad for the 

environment. 


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Cranbrook 

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Parish Cake - Spring 2020

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