Autumn 2023

Tasty local stories, published by Cranbrook and Sissinghurst Parish Council 

Autumn 2023 | FREE 

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WELCOME 

Published by Cranbrook and 

Sissinghurst Parish Council 

CO-EDITORS - 

Kim Fletcher and Carol Somers 

SUB EDITORS - 

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PUBLISHED BY - Cranbrook and 

Sissinghurst Parish Council, 

01580 713112 

www.cranbrookandsissinghurstpc.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. 

SOMETHING FOR THE CAKE? 

We love to hear from you. Please send 

all ideas for contributions to The Cake to 

clerk@cspc.org.uk by 6 November 2023 

Chairman’s 

Message 

Education and Health are 

two services that every 

family needs 

As a forward-looking Parish Council we have done our utmost to 

preserve access to health and education, but we now find ourselves at 

a crossroads: central government have closed our non-selective 11–16 

school, and now, because of interest rates and the cost of building, we 

need a new business plan to build the medical centre to serve this and 

many other parishes. 

Thank goodness we have certain individuals who “Do” rather than pontificate – how 

else would Cranbrook in Bloom operate, or Nuts in May, Cranbrook on the Green or 

the Apple Fayre, or the Parish Council, Age Concern, Wellbeing in the Weald, Sports 

clubs etc. 

I used to work for a company that had the motto, “If it is to be, it is UP TO ME” so I 

stood as chairman of this parish because I believe it should be visionary and vibrant, 

with education as an important builder of a community and employer, in a dynamic 

commercial environment with a healthy population who care and support one 

another. 

Please read the articles on the community centre and the school situation, and ask 

yourself, is there anything I can do, or someone I know who might help? The future of 

the parish is in our hands, and we need all the hands we can get. 

Come to the public meetings about education on 4 October, 2pm or 8pm. 

Cllr. Kim Fletcher, chairman, Cranbrook & Sissinghurst Parish Council 

Cllr. Kim Fletcher, 

chairman, Cranbrook 

& Sissinghurst Parish 

Council 

Inside 

this issue 

REGULARS 

5 What’s on & Directory 

6 Letters 

8 Development News 

10 Local News 

14 Event News 

16 Club News 

26 Literature 

29 Kids’ Corner 

31 Museum Update 

33 Let’s Cook 

34 Badger’s Plot 

37 Farming & Agriculture 

39 Legal 

40 PC Update 

42 Cake Meets… 

FEATURES 

12 Local Education Crisis – an 

update on education in the 

parish 

18 Weald Sports Centre – use it or 

lose it 

19 Age Concern – dates for your 

diary 

21 Bats – heroes of the night 

22 Cranbrook in Bloom – a floral 

showcase 

25 Local History & Volunteering 

The Cake • Autumn 2023 3

AUTUMN/WINTER 2023 

Book now at hemstedpark.com 

© Photograph by Jan Versweyveld 

A Little Life 30 September 

Oh What A Lovely War 

7 October 

Kidenza 

15 October 

The Great Think 

Pink Show 

20 October 

Kinder 

23/24 October 

Sleeping Beauty 

27 October 

Gary Delaney in 

Punderland 

28 October 

A Very Old Man with 

Enormous Wings 

3 November 

Trio Bohemo 

16 November 

Angela Hewitt 

19 November 

Swinging at the Cotton Club 

25 November 

The Jazz Sapiens 

8 December 

Christmas with the Len 

Phillips Swing Orchestra 

15 December

directory 

A list of useful contacts in 

Cranbrook and Sissinghurst 


Parish Council 

The Old Fire Station, Stone Street, 

Cranbrook, KENT TN17 3HF 

Clerk – Mrs. C. Bezuidenhout 

Deputy Clerk - Mrs. L. Ham 

Deputy Clerk – Mrs. L. Thirkell 

01580 713112 / clerk@CSPC.org.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 

Osborn - 07813 695741 

Neighbourhood Watch Area 

Co-ordinator: 01622 604395 

In an emergency i.e. if life is in danger 

or a crime is in progress call 999. To 

request non urgent police assistance, 

to report crime or to make enquiry 

call 101. Non urgent correspondence 

and crime can be reported via the Live 

Chat icon at www.kent.police.uk 

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 

Belle Vue School, Cranbrook: 

01580 854641 

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 

Rainbow Pre School, Cranbrook: 

01580 715570 

Sissinghurst CE Primary: 01580 713895 

Woodpeckers Pre School, Cranbrook: 

01580 720195 

DOCTORS 

Old School Surgery, Cranbrook: 

01580 712476 

Orchard End Surgery, Cranbrook: 

01580 713622 

The Crane Surgery, Cranbrook 

01580 712260 

DEFIBRILLATORS 

Cramp Club, Cranbrook 

Cranbrook Fire Station 

Cricket Club, Sissinghurst 

Parish Council office 

Sissinghurst Castle Garden 

Public Toilets, The Street 

Tennis Club, Sissinghurst 

The George Hotel, Cranbrook 

The Milkhouse, Sissinghurst 

WHAT’S ON 

September 

16 September – Fambrook: Cranbrook 

Family End of Summer Family Mini 

Festival, 1pm–5.30pm-ish, The Queen’s 

Hall Theatre, 

www.queenshalltheatre.co.uk 

22 September – Brooks Williams & 

Aaron Catlow, transatlantic blues-folk, 

7.30pm, The Vestry Hall, 

www.wmwcranbrook.co.uk 

22 September – Cranbrook Comedy 

Club, 8pm (with food from the Lloyds 

Kitchen food truck), The Queen’s Hall 

Theatre, www.queenshalltheatre.co.uk 

30 September – A Little Life, theatre/ 

cinema screening, 2.30pm and 

7.30pm, Theatre, Hemsted Park, 

Benenden School, 

www.hemstedpark.com 

October 

6 October – Happy Birthday Tony! A 

One-Man-Show, 7.30pm, The Queen’s 

Hall Theatre, 


7 October – The 20th Cranbrook Apple 

Fair Presents “Cranplona”, High Street, 

Cranbrook 

7 October – Oh What a Lovely War, 

2.30pm and 7.30pm, Theatre, Hemsted 

Park, Benenden School, 


13–14 October – Cranbrook Literature 

Festival, Vestry Hall, see website for 

tickets and event times, 

www.cranbrookliteraturefestival.com 

20 October – Heart of Kent Choir 

present The Great Think Pink Show, 

charity show for breast cancer, Theatre, 

Hemsted Park, Benenden School, 


23–24 October – Kinder, puppetry and 

shadow play, multiple timeslots from 

10am–4pm, Centenary Hall, Hemsted 

Park, Benenden School, see website for 

details www.hemstedpark.com 

27 October – Sleeping Beauty, ballet 

for the whole family, 1pm, Theatre, 



27 October – The Trials of Cato, powerfolk, 

7.30pm, The Vestry Hall, 


28 October – Counterfeit Quo, headsdown, 

no-nonsense boogie, 7.30pm, 

The Vestry Hall, 


28 October – Gary Delaney: Gary in 

Punderland, comedy, 7.30pm, Theatre, 



November 

3 November – A Very Old Man with 

Enormous Wings, music, puppetry and 

DIRECTORY 

video, 7pm, Theatre, Hemsted Park, 



4 November – On Thin Ice: Sounds of 

Pink Floyd, 7.30pm, The Queen’s Hall 

Theatre, www.queenshalltheatre.co.uk 

9–11 November – The Cranbrook Art 

Show, The Vestry Hall, 10am–5 pm 

(Thursday and Saturday), 10am–7pm 

(Friday), 

www.cranbrookartshow.org.uk 

10 November – Lone Star Comedy 

Club, Alistair Barrie, Nina Gilligan and 

Russell Hicks, 8pm, The Queen’s Hall 

Theatre, www.lonestarcomedy.co.uk 

16 November – Trio Bohemo, 7.30pm, 

Centenary Hall, Hemsted Park, 



18 November – Show of Hands, 

farewell tour feat. Miranda Sykes, 

7.30pm, The Queen’s Hall Theatre, 


19 November – Angela Hewitt, awardwinning 

pianist, 5pm, Centenary Hall, 



24 November – Robb Johnson with JT 

Coote, classic folk songwriter, 7.30pm, 

The Vestry Hall, 


25 November – Swinging at the Cotton 

Club, 7.30pm, Centenary Hall, Hemsted 

Park, Benenden School, 


December 

1 December – Russell Hicks Makes 

Friends, Stand-up meets Improv, 8pm, 

The Queen’s Hall Theatre, 


8 December – The Jazz Sapiens, 

7pm, Centenary Hall, Hemsted Park, 



9 December – Comedy Club 4 Kids 

Christmas Cracker, 2pm, The Queen’s 

Hall Theatre, 


9 December – Total Who, quality 

tribute band, 7.30pm, The Vestry Hall, 


15 December – Christmas with the 

Len Phillips Swing Orchestra, 7.30pm, 

Centenary Hall, Hemsted Park, 



19 December – St Agnes Fountain, 

Christmas folk, 7.30pm, The Vestry Hall, 



letters 

www.bussmurton.co.uk | T: 01580 712 215 

Welcome 

to the 

Cranbrook 

Pharmacy 

What a pleasure it is to 

go into the new pharmacy 

in Cranbrook and see 

stocked shelves and talk to 

really helpful pharmacists, 

supported by the longsuffering 

staff who remain 

from Lloyds. The new 

pharmacists are making such 

a difference in seeing the 

public and helping with minor 

ailments. 

There also seem to be 

modern methods to streamline 

prescriptions and everyone 

I speak to have also been so 

impressed by the new owners. 

F Monge 

Eyesore! 

The closing of the White Horse was bad 

news. However, the shuttering of it makes 

Cranbrook look like the down-at-heel suburb 

of a slum town. What can the council do 

about it? It is damaging the town and all 

the businesses, as it make the place look 

unfriendly. 

Editor’s comment: We contacted TWBC 

Planning Technical Department about this 

matter and they responded as follows: “As an 

empty building it can be boarded up. There 

is no planning breach and there is no need 

to request permission to board up an empty 

premises, even in a conservation area.” 

Admiral Taverns have told us that it 

has been sold but couldn’t tell us who to. 

However, they have said they will pass our 

details on to the new owner. We are awaiting 

contact… 

6 The Cake • Autumn 2023

We have been providing expert and 

trusted legal advice to individuals and 

businesses for generations. 

Pavement 

Pothole 

What is being done about the hole in the pavement 

outside the White Horse? It is a scandal that it is over 

nine months since the lamppost was knocked down. 

The Parish Clerk replies: “Kent County Council (KCC) 

is the authority responsible for repairing the hole in 

the pavement and replacing the streetlight. The Parish 

Council were originally told by KCC Highways that this 

would be repaired by June. The deadline has gone and 

we are still awaiting an update, in spite of our following 

it up.” Please do let KCC know your feelings about the 

issue by emailing your County Councillor Seán Holden: 

sean.holden@kent.gov.uk or calling KCC Highways on 

03000 418181. 

Sissinghurst 

ADULTS REQUIRED 

to join SCOUTS & do this too … JOIN US . 

SCOUTING starts at 4 years old, 

reaching for the skies. 

By 10 or so, scouts are cooking 

up a storm. 

At 6 years old, scouts cycle to 

explore places new. 

At 14, scouts are drawn to the 

wild, sleeping in the trees. JOIN. 

Email: SissinghurstGSL@gmail.com 


DEVELOPMENT NEWS 

Neighbourhood 

Development 

Plan Update 

The Cranbrook 

and Sissinghurst 

Neighbourhood 

Development Plan 

(CSNDP) has been 

in production since the first 

public meetings were held in 

2016. Over the years we have 

had our successes and our 

challenges, but we have always 

had tremendous support from 

the local community. In 2020, 

despite being in the middle of 

a pandemic, we ran a highly 

successful public (Regulation 

14) consultation, producing 

thousands of responses, all 

of which were looked at and 

addressed individually. Two 

years later, in July 2022, we 

submitted nearly 500 pages of 

documentation to TWBC (see my 

article in the Spring edition of 

Cake) for final consultation and 

examination. I’m delighted to 

report that their cabinet met on 

27 July and approved our Plan for 

referendum on 14 September. 

The referendum process will 

be managed by TWBC, and 

all eligible voters will be sent 

ballot papers in due course 

(voter ID will be required). All 

that is required is a simple Yes/ 

No response to the question, 

“Do you want Tunbridge 

Wells Borough Council to 

use the Neighbourhood 

Plan for Cranbrook and 

Sissinghurst to help it decide 

planning applications in the 

neighbourhood area?” For the 

Plan to be adopted (or “made” 

in the TWBC jargon) there is a 

“The Plan proposes a series of policies and seeks to bring forward 

positive and sustainable development in the neighbourhood area...” 

requirement for a simple majority 

of votes to be cast in favour. 

This has been a long and 

arduous process, which has 

been led so well from the very 

early days by Nancy Warne, but 

thanks must go to everybody, 

past and present, who has served 

on the Steering Group, or has 

contributed by attending our 

workshops, feedback sessions, 

or by responding to the 

consultations. A particular thank 

you for all the clerical backup 

provided by the parish clerks 

and the support and guidance 

given by our consultants, Feria 

Urbanism. 

We have ended up with a 

document of which we can be 

justly proud (see the Parish 

Council website under NDP to 

access it) and which received 

very positive support from the 

Examiner: “The Plan proposes 

a series of policies and seeks 

to bring forward positive and 

sustainable development 

in the neighbourhood area. 

There is a very clear focus on 

safeguarding its distinctive rural 

character. It includes a series of 

environmental and community 

policies. In addition, the Plan 

proposes the designation of a 

series of local green spaces… It 

sets out a positive vision for the 

future of the neighbourhood 

area. It includes policies to 

safeguard its built and natural 

environment.” 

So, finally, please – 

REMEMBER TO VOTE ON 14 

SEPTEMBER! 


DEVELOPMENT NEWS 

Community and Medical Centre 

Needs a New Business Plan 

The small and dedicated 

group who have been 

keeping this project 

alive for 23 years – since 

the Millennium Project 

started – needs your help. 

The project aim was to build 

a community centre. However, 

this was unaffordable on its own 

until we added a new library 

and a medical centre to improve 

healthcare across the area. We own 

a prime piece of land in the centre 

of town, that we have added to by 

purchasing the old dental surgery. 

The project has been on hold 

since Covid when the hoped-for 

specification from the Health 

Service became a low priority for 

them. Since then, building materials 

have skyrocketed in price, and 

interest rates have gone from 1 to 

5.25 per cent. Rents have not kept 

pace with either of these price 

hikes, so our business plan is no 

longer viable. Our build cost has 

gone from £5.5m to £9 million, 

while the income has remained 

static. 

We have always maintained we 

would not burden the parish with an 

unserviceable debt, so we are going 

back to first principles. What are our 

priorities, how can we afford it? 

With all the house building, there 

are some developer contributions, 

but not nearly sufficient for this 

leap in costs. If we want to include a 

new medical centre a radical change 

would be needed, to the tune of a 

£5.5 million pound cash injection. 

A small new community centre 

with a library is just feasible, but 

we need community input to 

inform our decisions. If you have 

any constructive ideas on how to 

achieve our goals, please get in 

touch at chairman@cspc.org.uk 

Highways Improvement 

Plan (HIP) Development 

An HIP is a document that parish councils can 

use to propose any highway changes they wish 

to promote and fund from their own resources 

(although on occasion KCC may be able to pay 

for small improvements from limited funding 

allocated across parish councils). 

INFORMATION GATHERING 

Three information gathering events took place in 

Cranbrook and Sissinghurst on 7 and 8 July. We asked 

residents to come along and submit details of issues that 

they would like to see addressed. Thank you to everyone 

who attended these events. People came from all over the 

parish, from Flishinghurst to Three Chimneys. We collected 

35 individual forms on the weekend and have received more 

since. Common themes were: 

• Stone Street, Cranbrook 

• Common Road, Sissinghurst 

• The Street, Sissinghurst 

• The Hill, Cranbrook 

DIGESTING THE INFORMATION 

We will take away all the suggestions that you have given 

to us. The suggestions will be put into a draft plan using 

the KCC required format. We will discuss the draft plan 

with KCC to understand fully the issues: complexities of 

schemes, what further development work may be required 

(e.g. traffic surveys), costs and prospects of delivery. 

CREATING THE PLAN 

The hard work then begins as we start costing everything. 

We will need to assess the work involved in further 

surveys – volumes of traffic, incidents of injury or death, 

volume and extent of speeding and so on. 

The parish council will prioritise the schemes, looking at 

those with the greatest impact and the most likelihood of 

success. 

A further draft plan will be produced which will come 

back out to the community for discussion and consultation. 

The finalised plan will then be submitted to KCC. 


LOCAL NEWS 

News 

A Global Search and a New 

Vicar for St Dunstan’s! 

St Dunstan’s Church is 

delighted to announce the 

appointment of the Venerable 

Richard King as the new Vicar 

for Cranbrook. 

Richard is currently Rector 

of St John the Evangelist, in 

Edmonton, Canada and along 

with his wife Shelly will arrive 

in the UK in October. 

For the past seven and a half 

years, Richard has been living 

and working in Canada, before 

which he held various posts 

in the Canterbury Diocese. 

He comes to us with a wealth 

of experience and a passion 

for being with and meeting 

everyone wherever they are on 

life’s journey. Richard lives and 

breathes St Dunstan’s Church’s 

vision through his faith, his 

welcoming spirit, and his 

compassion for all. As Richard 

said to us recently, “Shelly and 

I are now so grateful for God’s 

grace and kindness in providing 

the opportunity to come to be 

with you.” 

And commenting on his 

Parish interview in June, 

Richard said, “it was a 

wonderful, action-packed 

experience. I met not only 

members of St. Dunstan’s, 

but also people from the 

community, including the 

schools, parish council and local 

businesses. In a thirty-minute 

session, some of the children 

from Cranbrook Church of 

England Primary School put 

me to the test with some 

fantastic questions! That was 

great fun. In all, I came away 

with the sense that there is a 

lot happening in Cranbrook; 

that there is a great and shared 

desire to work together to make 

the community the best it can 

be. It feels very much a gift to 

be able to come and be part of 

that.” 

Richard’s appointment comes 

after a thorough recruitment 

and selection process, and 

our thanks go to so many 

members of the Cranbrook 

community who responded 

to a questionnaire last year. 

Your responses, feedback, 

support and prayers have been 

invaluable. 

Richard will be ‘Installed’ 

in St Dunstan’s Church by 

Bishop Rose Hudson-Wilkin 

on Wednesday 25th October at 

7.00pm. Please do come along 

and join the congregation, 

community and friends of 

Cranbrook for this joyous 

occasion: everyone is very 

welcome. 

Royal 

Planting 

On 16 May, Adam Nicolson, grandson 

of Harold Nicolson and Vita Sackville- 

West, planted three oak tree saplings 

in front of Sissinghurst Castle to 

commemorate the Coronation. Adam 

and his head gardener, Troy, planted 

three saplings: the largest to honour 

King Charles, a medium-sized sapling 

for Prince William, and a smaller one 

for Prince George. You can see the new 

plantings on the green, opposite the 

reception area, where a centuries old 

oak had stood. 

Cranbrook Primary School 

children Visit Local 

Sustainable Printers 

Two intrepid Year 6 Cub reporters were among six children from 

Cranbrook Primary Newspaper Club who recently visited Sustainable 

Print, in Cranbrook, to learn about the printing process. This ecofriendly 

company produces the school newspaper, which is printed on 

100 per cent recycled paper. 

Sustainable Print is concerned about the environment so they 

use crafted paper and at least 70 per cent or more recycled material, 

including seeds, petals, elephant and reindeer poo, and grains. They 

also use printing processes with less pollution and a better outcome, 

resulting in less environmental damage and so less harm to the planet. 

James Astell, director of Sustainable Print, lived and worked in 

New Zealand for five years and that is where he picked up his ideas on 

sustainability. “They are very much about flora and fauna, nature and 

woodlands so I thought I would bring that back to the UK in 2017,” he 

said. 

He explained that sustainability is about finding a process that 

produces a limited amount of waste. So when it comes to printing, it 

means to be really good quality and it needs to be fit for purpose. “There 

is always waste in most things, so we try and limit this as much as 

possible”. During the visit, James explained that everything that doesn’t 

get printed properly goes in the recycle bin and it will go back through 

the process. 

Apart from printing the school newspaper, they also print booklets, 

folded flyers, leaflets, magazines, business cards, banners and posters. 

“We have quite a few customers who want to use printers that are 

environmentally responsible and eco-friendly,” mentioned James. 

Edward Smissen and Isabel Lucas, Year 6 


LOCAL NEWS 

Cranbrook Windmill Update 

The new LED floodlights finally went live at 

Easter. This followed nearly four years work 

by our Treasurer Peter Bourne to whom the 

lights are dedicated. Sadly, he did not live to 

see them in action. We are grateful for the 

generous help with funding that we received 

from the local Co-op Community Fund and 

also via Councillor Sean Holden. 

Visitors are surprised at the 

appearance of the LED lights, which is 

very different from the old traditional 

circular style of floodlight. Each 

consists of a 4-foot strip of 48 LED 

cells, 12 each of colours red, green, 

blue and white. These groups can 

be controlled independently. A hefty 

kicking board protects them from accidental 

damage. 

The glass on the front of each cell is shaped 

to give a thin fan of light that spreads upwards 

to light the faces of the windmill and spreads 

sideways to light the sweeps. In the trade they 

are known as “wall washers” so little light is 

lost. 

They are highly efficient in terms of 

Cranbrook 

Visitor 

Information 

Provided by Cranbrook 

Tourism Group 

Cranbrook Museum 

Carriers Road, TN17 3JX 

Tel: 01580 712929 

www.cranbrookmuseum.org 

• Opening times: April to 

October, Tuesday to Saturday 

& Summer Bank Holidays from 

2pm to 4.30pm. Also open on 

Sundays during August 

• No admission charge – 

donations welcome 

• Forthcoming events: 

Exhibition – A look at the 

Russell family of Cranbrook 

and their interests in watermills 

and windmills 

Cranbrook Union Mill 

The Hill, TN17 3AH 

Tel: 01580 714557 

www.unionmill.org.uk 

• Opening times: Times vary, 

please see website for latest 

information 

• No admission charge – 

donations welcome 

• Forthcoming events: The 

Windmill will be supporting all 

local events 

Cranbrook in Bloom 

Contacts: Linda Page (Chair) 

Pages Newsagents, 29 High 

Street, TN17 3EE. 

Tel: 01580 713604 or Marian 

Cumberland (Secretary) Tel: 

07780 526766 

www.cranbrookinbloom.co.uk 

Also on Facebook 

• Floral displays at numerous 

locations in the town, plus 

the Library Pond, the Crane 

Valley, the Forge Orchard, the 

roundabout at Wilsley Pound 

and the Copse at the top of the 

High Street. 

• Forthcoming events: 

Cranbrook in Bloom will be 

supporting all local events 

St Dunstan’s Church “The 

Cathedral of the Weald” 

Stone Street, TN17 3HA 

(Church Office) 

electricity, saving 80 per 

cent of the previous usage. 

With our average use over 

the year of 5 hours per 

night, they have an expected 

lifetime of 50 years. 

Recent lighting patterns have 

been to celebrate the Coronation and 

the 75th anniversary of the start of the NHS. 

We have also had alternate yellow + blue 

light in support of Ukraine and this is likely 

to be repeated. What will we think of next? 

Suggestions are welcome. 

Nick Vinall, chair, Cranbrook Windmill 

Association 

Tel: 01580 715861 (Office) 

www.stdunstanscranbrook. 

org.uk 

The office e-mail is office@ 

stdunstanscranbrook.org.uk 

• Opening times: The church 

building is usually open every 

day. See the website for details 

of services 

• Thursday 7 September – 

1pm: Friends of St Dunstan’s 

Lunchtime Concert 

• Thursday 5 October – 1pm: 

Friends of St Dunstan’s 

Lunchtime Concert 

• Sunday 8 October – 10am: 

Harvest Festival Service 

• Saturday 14 October – 

7.30pm: Cranbrook Town Band 

Concert 

• Sunday 5 November – 

2.30pm: Songfest 2 Concert 

• Sunday 12 November – 

10.30am: Remembrance 

Sunday Service 

• Sunday 12 November – 6pm: 

Faure’s Requiem 

• Sunday 19 November – 5pm: 

Vox Anima Concert 

Cranbrook Apply Fayre 

Saturday 7 October – This 

year’s theme, “Cranplona” (see 

page 14) 

CUP CAKES 

• Kent & East Sussex Railway – Good News! 

Following a lengthy public inquiry, the Secretary of 

State for Transport announced that he has decided 

to make an order for the completion of the railway 

into Robertsbridge, including a connection with 

Network Rail. Substantial works will be required, 

including the provision of two level crossings, 

one of which will be on the A21. The work will be 

undertaken jointly by the Kent & East Sussex Railway 

and Rother Valley Railway. 

• Hospice in the Weald Recital - On Saturday 

29 July, the Richard Beattie Davis 15th Annual 

Memorial Recital was held in Sandhurst. Luckily, 

we chose a beautiful day for tea in the garden and 

a recital by Daniel Grimwood (piano) and Adrian 

Bradbury (cello) who performed rare repertoire 

from Russia and England. It was a charity event for 

Hospice in the Weald. After expenses we managed 

to raise an incredible £750 and, in addition, we 

heard a fascinating programme – some saying the 

best ever, not for the first time! 

• Swan Songs - Cranbrook 

Choral Society is looking 

forward to performing 

Britten’s Saint Nicolas 

cantata on 18 November 

and at the Christmas 

Concert with the Town 

Band on 16 December, both in St Dunstan’s. There 

will be a twinge of sadness as after 12 inspiring years 

conducting the choir, Jeffrey Gray is moving out 

of the area. He will be much missed, a new music 

director has yet to be appointed. 

• Coronation Benches - The Parish Council has 

received a grant for six benches to commemorate 

the Coronation of King Charles III. Two will be placed 

in Sissinghurst by the Flower Society, and Four will 

be placed around the play area on the Ball Field in 

Cranbrook. 

• Play Equipment on the Ball Field - After an 

extensive consultation with parents, a traditional 

slide has been requested. The Parish Council 

is working on a long-term plan for the play 

equipment, its lifespan (the horse dates from 1946 

and is still going strong) and how and where it is 

replaced. Users of the play areas will notice that the 

Parish Warden has replaced a toddler swing seat and 

carried out repairs to the tower at Jubilee Field in 

Sissinghurst and has replaced an infant swing at the 

Ball Field in Cranbrook. 

• Back on the Beat - Matthew Scott, the Police 

and Crime Commission for Kent, announced in a 

newsletter dated 9 June 2023 that as part of a new 

Neighbourhood Policing Model every ward in the 

county will have a named Police officer – effectively 

marking the return of rural beat officers. The plan, 

which aims to ensure more visible, community 

policing, will be rolled out over the next six months. 


FEATURE 

Cranbrook 

Education 

in Crisis! 

In recent years, Cranbrook and 

the surrounding High Weald 

has become a disadvantaged 

area for non-selective 

education, but there are 

possible actions to make it a centre 

of excellence. However, unless 

we express our discontent to the 

relevant authorities, NOTHING 

WILL CHANGE! 

We have 600 new houses being 

built in a parish of 3,000 homes, with 

several hundred more houses in the 

surrounding parishes, previously 

reliant on Cranbrook for education. 

Pre-schools, such as Rainbow in 

Cranbrook, are closing while demand 

for them is increasing. All local 

primary schools are over-subscribed 

for years to come, and most have 

no expansion capacity. Cranbrook 

Primary has a 34 per cent pupil 

premium (free school meals) and the 

community has 22 per cent social 

housing so there are education 

challenges in the very early years. 

The High Weald Academy was 

rebuilt at a cost of £11m in 2018 to 

house 800 pupils but was summarily 

transferred to Leigh Academy Trust 

and closed by the Department of 

Education. Now, following a further 

£2m investment, it is a Special Needs 

school for 150. Bellevue is another 

Special Needs School for 65 pupils. 

Each student is individually taxied 

in and out daily from all over Kent. 

These schools are important, but so 

are our children. 

The pupils who used to attend 

High Weald are now bussed for up to 

an hour each way to Paddock Wood, 

Tenterden, Maidstone or Wadhurst. 

This prevents friendship groups 

forming, which spawns anti-social 

behaviour, bullying and truancy, 

and affects all the children’s mental 

health. 

Cranbrook Grammar School is 

selective and has one of the highest 

entry marks in Kent, meaning many 

local children do not win a place. 

Our employers have skilled 

manual labour shortages, in 

agriculture, mechanics, construction, 

caring, hospitality, which are ideal 

for part learning, part hands-on 

experience. 

This is an opportunity for the 

WE WOULD LIKE TO PROPOSE THE 

FOLLOWING SOLUTIONS: 

1. Build a new free school for 11–16 year-olds and a 

primary school extension on the Long Field (adjacent 

to the school), which is owned by Kent County Council. 

This school should concentrate on skills subjects, 

with daily use of English and Maths in the technical 

experience which will enable them to pass certificates 

for future employers. 

2. Use the Cranbrook Sports Club across the road (new 

crossing required) on the Tomlin Murton Trust land for 

car and coach parking – 180 spaces. 

3. Take back and refurbish the unused technical block 

from Leigh Academy Trust for skills training by the new 

school, a youth club and a boxing/martial arts gym. 

4. Take back the unused sixth-form centre and use the 

ground floor as a pre-school and the first floor for adult 

education. 

5. Take back the unused tennis courts and lease them to 

Cranbrook Sports Club to get them back in use, perhaps 

using Lawn Tennis Association funding. 

6. Improve the lane from the Sports Club car park into the 

centre of town to create permeability and reduce vehicle 

congestion in the town centre at school times. 


FEATURE 

Community Assets Survey 

public sector to show it can be 

multi-functional, entrepreneurial 

and provide excellence for all 

ages of the population from the 

ruins of a once great school. 

The Parish Council will apply 

to have the old High Weald 

buildings as community assets, 

and KCC needs to take the Long 

Field off the market now that 

construction of houses has been 

refused at appeal. It should be 

reserved for education until this 

project is approved or the issues 

addressed. 

Data needs to be collected 

from key players, such as the 

existing primary and secondary 

schools to show the destination 

of their pupils, the Department 

of Education, Leigh Academy 

Trust, (plus another trust), KCC 

education and politicians, TWBC, 

parish and local education 

leaders, to establish how to make 

it happen. Parents need to be 

involved, as it is their children’s 

futures that are at stake. 

Our plans are ambitious, but 

Councillor David Selby led a project to ask 

parishioners if they thought the parish needs 

additional space for 1) a Pre-school, 2) delivery of 

Youth Services and well-being activities and 3) Adult 

Education. 

Online and paper replies numbered 213, and the 

results were: 

Yes Maybe No 

Pre-school 181 (85%) 30 2 

Youth services 198 (93%) 14 1 

Adult Education 164 (77%) 38 11 

Although not statistically significant, it shows a 

groundswell of opinion that we lack basic space for 

these important community building spaces. 

“Discontent arises from a knowledge 

of the possible, as contrasted with 

the actual.” 

ANEURIN BEVAN: IN PLACE OF FEAR 

the High Weald has been left 

out and is now disadvantaged. 

Should our community be 

disadvantaged for helping the 

less fortunate? No, we should be 

rewarded. 

Kim Fletcher, chairman, 


Parish Council 

CLOSURE OF RAINBOW 

PRE-SCHOOL 

July 21 was a sad day for pre-school 

children and their parents as the 

Rainbow pre-school closed due to the 

loss of its premises at the primary 

school. Tears were shed as the staff and 

trustees held a farewell event at the end 

of their last summer term. 

The school has operated for 42 years, 

and prepared hundreds of children for 

starting primary school. Pre-schools 

socialise children and show them how 

to get on with one another, playing 

and learning the basics together. They 

ensure children go on to primary school 

ready to learn, able to eat and go to 

the toilet. Children who have been to 

pre-school have a head start when they 

go to primary, making it easier for them 

and the staff. 

The government claims to support 

working mums and does fund some 

childcare schemes, but what’s the point 

if they fail to support pre-schools like 

this. This removal of service will be felt 

for generations to come, as pre-school 

is the start learning, of creating a 

community and of finding friendships 

that could last all their lives. 

There has been frantic activity to 

try to find another space in Cranbrook 

to no avail. A very tearful trustee, 

Nita Chandler, said that she had tried 

everywhere to find a space for the last 

year. Parish councillor David Sykes 

organised a questionnaire to gather 

data to enable the parish council to 

apply for a grant to buy redundant 

buildings that may be able to house a 

new pre-school. 

HAVE YOUR VOICE 

If you are at all concerned about the closure of 

local pre-schools like Rainbow or secondary schools like the High 

Weald, don’t just sit there, STAND UP AND BE COUNTED. We are 

inviting everyone to have their say on this important matter at 

public meetings in the Vestry Hall at 2pm and 8pm on 4 October. 

Come and add your voice to the re-establishment of proper 

education in Cranbrook. 


EVENT NEWS 

Apple Fayre 2023 

Presents “Cranplona” 

As I write, the Kentish orchards are looking 

wonderfully full of fruit, an amazing mix of 

different types of apple growing side by side 

in beautifully laid out fields intermingled 

with forest and arable land. We really are 

very lucky to have all this 

on our doorstep, lovingly 

tended throughout the 

year by our farmers. Big 

thanks to them for all 

they do. 

My second thought 

after apples is, of course, 

cider. I must confess that 

when Philip Mummery 

and I first discussed 

the Apple Fayre in 

Cranbrook our desire 

was for a kind of cider 

festival in the town. The 

idea was rejected, which 

made us think instead of 

a celebration of our great 

local fruit, the apple. The 

Apple Fayre concept was 

approved so all we had to do was to try and 

work out what it would entail and nearly 20 

years later, we still don’t know! 

VOILÀ; CIDER WAS BORN IN KENT! 

Regarding cider, the Romans brought the 

apple to Kent first, then to the rest of Britain. 

Around the year 600, monasteries started 

growing apples for monks to drink and to 

preserve the juice and Voilà; cider was born 

in Kent! The Normans planted more orchards 

and brought better cidermaking skills, 

allowing the drink to be more available to the 

public. 

Between the 16th and 19th centuries, 

Europe was hit by a “Little Ice Age”, a time 

when the River Thames froze over each 

year and weaker plants 

were killed off by the 

cold weather, including 

all the grapevines. 

Winemaking in Europe 

halted and Kent tucked 

into cider. Currently the 

UK drinks more cider 

that any other country 

in the world, we actually 

drink more cider than all 

the other countries in 

the world combined. Not 

bad eh? 

There is evidence that 

the champagne making 

method actually was 

invented in England by 

Sir Kenelem Digby back 

in 1663 to make fizzy 

cider in reinforced glass bottles. All this was 

five years before the French monk credited 

with the méthode champenoise had been 

born. 

So please show a preferential interest in 

the English Apple when shopping and come 

and taste the local ciders on offer at the 

Apple Fayre in Cranbrook on 7 October. It is 

without a shadow of a doubt the best tasting 

fruit around, and one that makes the best 

summer drink on earth. Cheers! 

Stuart Cleary, co-founder of the Apple Fayre 

Cranbrook on 

the Green 

Well done all you Cranbrookians for making 

the third Cranbrook on the Green such a 

success, despite the rain! 

A downpour can make the difference 

between a good show and a washout, but 

we were lucky this year that it just couldn’t 

make its mind up until a good bit later into 

the day. We didn’t have as many classic cars 

(full marks to those who made it) because of 

the forecast. We didn’t have as many dogs 

because a wet fur coat just looks wet, no 

matter how long the dog owner has spent 

grooming and combing. There weren’t quite 

as many ice creams sold either, but most 

stalls enjoyed the day and will be back next 

year. It’s all part of outdoor fun in England. 

BEST PARTY GOERS 

The axe throwers loved it, Delbert Fandango 

and the Japanese Munchweeds tore into 

their songs like they were headlining 

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EVENT NEWS 

Knebworth – what a band! Another great 

performance too from the Compass Choir. 

You great Cranbrookians braved the weather 

tucking in to Greek gyros kebabs or Mexican 

tacos while drinking Larkins best bitter or 

Cramp Club lager. One of the organisers 

overheard two local lasses discussing the 

awful weather. One said, “It’s such a shame 

it had to rain.” The other replied, “It’s bound 

to, and anyway, you only get wet once.” 

That’s the spirit Cranbrook. 

In short, you locals would turn up for a 

party on the deck of the Titanic if it was 

laid on, and in Cranbrook, obviously. You 

Cranbrookians are and always have been 

the best party goers, no matter what the 

weather. As long as it’s a good event, the 

rain won’t stop the fun. 

Thanks for coming and see you next year 

on 21 July (guaranteed sunshine, as usual). 

Wendy and Julie 

AFP AFP 

Sissinghurst Summer Flower Show 

The Summer Flower Show was held on 

Saturday 17 June in the Primary School hall. 

The weather patterns this year have been 

difficult and overall entries were much the 

same lowish numbers as last year. However, 

as experienced by other local societies, 

roses and flowers were the best for some 

time. 

The children’s artwork was included as 

part of their curriculum and were in their 

classrooms rather than on general display. 

Lion, Giraffe and Elephant Classes produced 

colourful butterflies, sunny sunflowers and 

complicated concentric circles while Zebra, 

Eagle and Leopard concentrated on the 

Stone Age with topical Stonehenge Solstice 

sunrises and Stone Age pottery. Leopard’s 

Stone Age jewellery drew particular praise 

from the judge who commented it almost 

looked authentic. 

Open classes were well supported with 

vases of green foliage, patiently made 

crowns and handwriting of an excellent 

standard throughout. 

It was a very pleasant surprise that 

children obviously enjoyed entering the two 

adult Handicraft Classes for jewellery and 

animals or persons made from paper. Each 

class was judged overall. Their imaginative 

ideas more than made up for the single 

jewellery item entered by an adult! 

There were an encouraging three entries 

in the Young Person’s Photography Class 

and the judge was impressed by the 

standard coming from the children. 

The Society is very grateful to the school 

for their support which does make a huge 

difference overall to our shows. During the 

afternoon, children, parents, members and 

visitors enjoyed homemade cakes and tea 

and raffle and then children had fun with 

the sideshows. 

TROPHY WINNERS 

Oswald Beale Challenge Cup: Mrs B. Bancroft 

Greengrow Rose Bowl: Mrs J. May 

Nancy Congreve Bud Vase: Carol Somers 

Mary Tremenheere Trophy: Jerome Davies 

Beryl Link Cup: S. Harries 

Jack Moss Award: Ms L. Bancroft 

Denis Hemsted Youth Cup: Leo R 

JUNIOR AWARDS 

Junior Challenge Cup: Polly D 

Jubilee Trophy: Leo R 

Special Award: Harry D 

Handwriting Shield: Flo A 

Walker Shield: Madeline G 

Learning Tree Shield: Daphne H 

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CLUB NEWS 

CRANBROOK JUNIORS FC 

Family Fun Day II 

The weather on Saturday 1 July was 

a little overcast but that couldn’t 

dampen the anticipation for 

Cranbrook Juniors Football Club’s 

second Family Fun Day. Rammell 

Field came alive from 8.00am, as all the 

planning that began in January 2023 finally 

came to fruition. 

The day’s schedule revolved around 

football, fun and family. Stalls were set up; 

our inflatable football pitch took shape 

and the bouncy castles started attracting 

attention. 

From 9.00am, football games were 

underway, including mini-tournaments 

for all age groups. The inflatable football 

pitch, generously purchased for us by one 

of our sponsors, Mortgage Advice Bureau, 

caught everyone’s attention –some parents 

even seemed envious, wanting to have a go 

themselves! The joyful shouts and screams 

of children brightened up the day, and soon 

enough the sun made a welcome appearance. 

The older children were having their 

own tournaments and the friendly, but ever 

so slightly competitive atmosphere, was 

obvious… and that was just between the 

managers! The children’s support for each 

other was heartwarming, reflecting the true 

inclusivity of our club. 

The stalls ranged from family games to 

tombola, glitter tattoos and face painting. 

Refreshments flowed all day and the arrival 

of the ice cream van was with perfect timing 

as the sun had decided it was going to stick 

around. 

Before the grand finale, the highly 

anticipated Parents vs. Coaches match, 

there was a brilliant display from the Fusion 

Cheerleaders. The game itself was a close-run 

thing and we believe there were no major 

injuries or sore muscles on Sunday morning. 

The only casualty was one pair of ripped 

shorts as the result of an over-zealous kick! 

As I wandered around soaking up the 

atmosphere, I saw countless smiles on the 

faces of both parents and children, making 

all the hard work worthwhile. Events like 

this require a lot of planning and support, 

and without our dedicated volunteers, it 

simply wouldn’t have been possible. So, 

a massive and heartfelt “thank you” goes 

out to all of them! As the list would be too 

long to include here, we will be expressing 

our gratitude separately to all those who 

provided refreshments and food, as well as 

our invaluable sponsors. 

Planning for the 2024 Family Fun Day will 

commence in the early part of next year. 

We are aiming to make it even bigger and 

more enjoyable, so we urge volunteers to 

come forward well in advance! But for now, 

let’s relish the upcoming 2023–24 season, 

particularly with the exciting addition of our 

first two girls’ teams (U10 & U12). 

Reese Drewer, CJFC committee member, 

reese@cranbrookjuniorsfc.co.uk 


The Cake • Summer 2023 17

FEATURE 

Why we Need the Weald Sports Centre! 

The Weald Sports Centre is 

central to our community. It is 

where countless children (and 

adults) have learned to swim. It 

brings people together as they 

watch and wait for whoever is in the pool. 

If offers a wide range of exercise classes 

and group sports sessions. People not only 

learn new skills and “play” for enjoyment; 

they can play competitively. Above all, it 

is a place where people’s health can be 

improved, restored and maintained in an 

environment that is safe and collaborative. 

But the truth is that not enough people are 

using it! 

Covid dealt the country’s 1,800 public and 

private sports and leisure centres a huge 

body blow. Restrictions meant that normal 

business and most activities were brought 

to a halt. A report published in March 2001 

revealed that 39 per cent of them were at 

severe risk of partial or total closure. The 

UK has seen 400 swimming pools close since 

2012 (pre-Covid, yes, but it hastened the 

demise of many). And now we have the cost 

of living crisis and a huge hike in energy 

bills. It doesn’t take Sherlock Holmes to 

realise that running a sports centre with a 

swimming pool is now prohibitively costly! 

“Despite its considerable 

challenges, the Weald is still 

going strong. New manager, 

Jason Still, is turning things 

around” 

It’s clear that the closures will continue – 

and the Weald could be at risk. 

This makes grim reading. Of course, these 

centres are essential to the nation’s health. In 

March 2020, statistics revealed that they save 

the NHS £7.25 million every week by reducing 

health conditions such as strokes, heart 

disease, diabetes, colon and breast cancers, 

dementia and depression. They also prevent 

the development of 900,000 Type 2 diabetes 

cases and 1.5 million cases of back pain 

each year and we have them to thank for an 

annual saving of £405 million by preventing 

30 million GP appointments. These statistics 

shout out how important it is for us to have a 

sports centre here in the parish. 

WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP 

Despite its considerable challenges, the 

Weald is still going strong. New manager, 

Jason Still, is turning things around. Check 

out the website (www.fusion.com/centres/ 

the-weald-sports-centre). It has new classes 

and new instructors: from circuit training, 

body conditioning, group cycling and yoga 

to Pilates, aqua aerobics, body pump and 

Zumba. Not to mention badminton, football 

and pickleball! It has retained good opening 

hours. There have been no price rises to try 

to address growing bills, the gym has been 

recently refurbished and boasts new, wellmaintained 

equipment. And there are now 

more staff. 

If you haven’t been for a while, why not 

take another look? There is a lot going on and 

there are plans for more. Of course, money is 

short, there is no miracle cure. But what we 

can do is support what we have, work together 

and ensure that the Weald remains at the 

core of our community. Many people depend 

upon it, not only for their leisure but for their 

physical and mental health. Cllr David Selby 

VACANCY 

The Weald has vacant positions to fill – if 

you know of anyone who would want to 

work (f/t or p/t) please contact Jason (jason. 

still@fusion-lifestyle.com) for the details or 

find them at www.fusion.careers/jobs 


Cranbrook 

and District 

Age Concern 

(CaDAC) 

Update 

• Tuesdays in the Vestry Hall 

Coffee mornings – 10–11.45am 

CaDAC’s weekly coffee mornings go from 

strength to strength! Everyone is very 

welcome to join us on Tuesday mornings 

in the Vestry Hall where they’ll find a warm 

welcome and unlimited tea, coffee and 

biscuits for a suggested donation of just £1. 

• Soup lunches restart from 12 September 

– 12–1.30pm 

After a three-month break over the summer, 

we’re really looking forward to meeting up 

again every Tuesday lunchtime. The lunches 

are a great opportunity to make new friends 

and meet up with old ones and we’ve all 

missed the camaraderie and conversation 

they generate. For a suggested donation of 

£2.00, everyone is welcome to come along, 

draw up a chair at one of the long tables and 

join us for a bowl of soup and lots of friendly 

chat. 

• Other events 

Chair Keep Fit – 9.45–10.15am 

Millie from Tessellation Dance’s popular 

chair keep fit classes are held on Tuesday 

mornings in Church House, next door to the 

Vestry Hall and opposite the front door of St 

Dunstan’s Church. With a soundtrack of rock 

’n’ roll hits from the 60s and 70s that raise 

VOLUNTEER WITH US! 

FEATURE 

the spirits and the tempo, it’s impossible 

not to “move to the groove”. Come along for 

half an hour of laughter and gentle exercise 

before moving next door for the weekly 

Vestry Hall coffee morning. Suggested 

donation for the class is £3.00. 

• Trinity Café, Sissinghurst – third 

Monday of the month 

The Trinity café has been providing a 

convivial meeting place for the older 

residents of Sissinghurst for several years 

now. They meet once a month in the Parish 

Room and offer a delicious two-course meal 

plus tea or coffee for £5. Trinity Café has 

recently come under the CaDAC umbrella for 

administrative purposes (see contact details 

for Juliet Mellor in the box below). 

Cranbrook and District Age Concern is looking for volunteers to help us provide our activities. 

If you have time to join us for coffee (9.30am–12.00pm), lunch (11.45am–1.45pm) or at Trinity 

Café in Sissinghurst we’d love to hear from you. There’s a rota system so volunteers can either 

offer just one or two sessions a month or come every week. We have a great time and all really 

enjoy being with such a lovely group of people. Contact Liz Ward on 07468 457878 if you’re 

interested in helping in Cranbrook and Juliet Mellor on 01580 714618 for Sissinghurst. 


Larchmere House is set in the pretty 

Wealden village of Frittenden providing 

24-hour nursing Care. Our team of friendly, 

qualified Nurses and Care Staff are 

committed to providing the highest 

standards of nursing care for up to 30 

residents in a safe & caring environment. 

• Delicious home cooked food, all dietary 

needs catered for • Daily activities, 

entertainment & regular outings • 

Consistently ‘Good’ CQC Inspections. 

Please feel free to contact the home on the 

number below if you have any questions 

and take a look at our Face Book page for 

an insight of activities at Larchmere House 

BIDDENDEN ROAD, FRITTENDEN, KENT TN17 2EN 

Find us on Face Book • www.larchmere.co.uk 

Please contact Nikki (Manager) on 

01580 852335 OR 

admin@larchmere.co.uk 


FEATURE 

Heroes of the Night 

Have you ever 

watched a tiny 

bat flit around in 

your garden at 

dusk, catching 

insects for its breakfast? 

If not, then venture out 

between sunset and dark 

and see what you can see. 

Bats like to feed around 

trees, woodland, water 

and gardens. The petite 

pipistrelle bat is easily seen in 

Cranbrook just by taking a walk 

at the right time. 

Bats are like humans in that 

they need somewhere to live, 

somewhere to find food and a 

way to travel between the two. 

The places where bats live are 

called roosts and they’re often 

in buildings and trees. Bats use 

flight-lines to travel between 

their roosts and their favourite 

foraging places, which support 

good insect populations. 

Female bats gather in 

maternity roosts to have a 

single pup during the summer. 

These roosts are warm to help 

the pups develop quickly. 

Bats then spend the autumn 

socialising, mating and 

fattening up for winter. In 

winter, they hibernate in cool, 

damp places and in spring they 

emerge to gain weight ready for 

breeding again. 

So why are bats heroes of 

the night? Well, remarkably 

there are over 1400 species 

worldwide and they provide 

many benefits to humans. These 

are “ecosystem services”, such 

as seed dispersal and plant 

pollination. In the UK we have 

17 breeding species and they’re 

all insectivorous. Their most 

important service is to suppress 

insect pests, including those 

that bite us or are agricultural 

pests. 

WWW.BATS.ORG.UK 

So how can we conserve bats 

and benefit from their services? 

You could help to protect a 

known roost or provide a new 

one in a bat box. You can plant 

a diverse range of native plants 

(including night-scented ones) 

that flower throughout the 

season or even dig a pond to 

attract night-flying insects. 

You could try turning off 

your outside lights, which are 

detrimental to most bat species. 

You too will benefit from 

all of these bat conservation 

activities. There is a growing 

body of evidence that regular 

contact with wildlife is great 

for our physical and mental 

well-being. And that artificial 

light at night is not only bad 

for wildlife but also bad for our 

own circadian rhythms. Turning 

off the lights saves on the 

electricity bill and is kind to the 

planet too! It’s a win win win! 

You can find out more about bats 

by visiting the Bat Conservation 

Trust or Kent Bat Group websites, 

https://www.bats.org.uk/ or 

https://www.kentbatgroup.org. 

uk/ 

Jan Collins, head of biodiversity 

at the Bat Conservation Trust 

and a resident of Cranbrook 

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FEATURE 

Cranbrook 

in Bloom 

Activities 

On May 28th, 

Cranbrook High 

Street was 

packed for 

Cranbrook 

Goes Nuts in May, we 

had a successful plant 

stall and the planters 

looked great. 

GARDEN SAFARI 

Despite the unsettled 

weather on Sunday 18 

June, the garden safari 

was well supported and we 

would like to say thank you to 

everyone who came along to 

enjoy the open gardens. Many 

thanks also go to the twelve 

gardeners who bravely invited 

everyone to visit their private 

spaces. This is an important 

fundraising event for us, and 

your support is necessary and 

appreciated. The plant sale 

outside Horsley Place was a 

success, all donated plants 

gratefully received and sold. 

“We have three hours to show the 

judge how much we have to offer with 

our horticultural and environmental 

efforts during the year” 

PLANTERS 

There are now over 60 

planters in the town (probably 

our limit). Placement of the 

new replacement ones, in 

October, will finish this grantenabled 

project. They all need 

maintaining, by painting with 

wood preserver every year, 

planting up as necessary, 

watering and dead heading. Quite 

a task! Volunteers for these tasks 

and others are always welcome. 

CRANBROOK IN BLOOM 

JUDGING 

Once again Cranbrook was at its 

best on 7 July when Barty, the 

South & South East in Bloom 

judge, visited to assess Cranbrook 

in the Small-Town category of 

the regional competition. 

We have three hours to show 

the judge how much we have to 

offer with our horticultural and 

environmental efforts during the 

year. Community involvement is 

also an important consideration 

and we always surprise ourselves 

at the number of volunteer 

hours that accumulate over the 

year – we clocked up over 5,000 

this time round! Barty seemed 

impressed with the effort on 

all fronts and we are looking 

forward to reading his report and 

hearing the results when they are 

announced in September. 

Thanks to everyone involved. 

Volunteers include not only 

members and supporters of our 

group but also schools, clubs 

and other volunteering and 

community groups. Cranbrook 

Museum has a beautiful garden 

maintained by U3A gardening 

group, the allotments are 

gardened by residents of the 

parish, Belle Vue school assisted 

in the wildflower area in the 

Ball Field and Cranbrook School 

Gardening and Wildlife Club were 

involved in our tour on 7 July. 

Our annual presentation 

evening is on Friday 6 October in 

the Vestry Hall and everyone is 

welcome to come along and meet 

us. You can also find out more 

about what we do at 

www.cranbrookinbloom.co.uk 


Gardening 

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Cold Feet for one of 

Churchill’s “Few” 

The Cake sent Graham 

Holmes to investigate 

a remarkable story that 

has lain dormant for 

over 80 years. An old 

press cutting was discovered by 

Sissinghurst resident Bob Reid, son 

of the late Squadron Leader Robert 

(Robbie) Reid, formerly of the 

Royal Air Force. Bob’s father had 

accumulated an exemplary flying 

record in the Second World War, 

beginning in September 1939 when 

he joined No. 46 Squadron, flying 

the legendary Hawker Hurricane 

Mk 1. Robbie was soon in the thick 

of the Battle of Britain, being 

credited with two Messerschmidt 

109s destroyed, with a further 109 

listed as a “probable” and another 

as “damaged”. In addition, a twinengine 

Messerschmidt 110 fighter 

was also credited as “damaged”. It 

is this latter aircraft that provides 

the basis for the story. 

At 11.32 hours on 7 November 

1940, Pilot Officer Reid and Flight 

Lieutenant Burnett had been 

ordered to patrol over Chelmsford 

and intercept a possibly hostile 

incoming aircraft. Having reached 

20,000 feet, they observed the 

enemy aircraft heading west 

at an altitude of 30,000 feet. 

Realising he had been spotted, 

the Germany pilot climbed higher 

and the British pilots responded. 

The two planes were now at the 

very extreme of their altitude 

endurance, but nevertheless closed 

in for the attack. Hits were seen on 

the enemy aircraft and, with both 

engines smoking, it went into a 

half-roll and started downwards. 

In the aftermath, no wreckage 

could be found of the Me 110 and 

so the British pilots were only 

credited with a “damaged” score. 

After the action, Pilot Officer 

Reid said that at just over 31,000 

feet the cold was so intense that 

his flying boots had frozen to the 

cockpit rudder bar! Not surprising, 

since temperatures at that height 

can reach -40 degrees centigrade. 

Robbie Reid later converted to 

the De Havilland Mosquito and 

joined No. 235 Squadron with 

the rank of Squadron Leader. 

Tragically, he was killed in action 

on 23 March 1945 while attacking 

enemy shipping off the coast of 

Norway. He is remembered on the 

Battle of Britain memorial at Capel 

le Ferne as well as the National 

Monument at Runnymede. 

Amazingly, a memorial to this 

brave pilot also stands in Norway. 

An excellent analysis of his war 

record, collated by Bob’s son 

Simon, can be found at 

www.robbiereid.co.uk 

LOCAL HISTORY 

You Can’t Help 

Everyone, but Everyone 

can Help Someone! 

Have you ever thought about 

volunteering? It’s something I now do on 

a regular basis. In the past, I’ve helped 

young people at school to volunteer in 

their community with activities such as 

becoming companions to the elderly or 

helping to keep the local environment 

clean and tidy and free from litter. 

Anyone can volunteer but, I hear you 

ask, why do it? 

• It can improve your confidence 

• It gives you new skills 

• You can give something useful to your community 

• It’s good for your mental and physical health 

• It can enhance your CV 

• You get to make a difference 

• It gives you a sense of purpose 

In short, it can make you feel great, and make a difference to 

your life and the lives of others. What’s not to like about that? 

Now, I hear you ask, how can I get involved? 

Easy! Look around you. Our area has many local clubs and 

organisations that would all appreciate some help, even if only 

occasionally, with their events and activities. Check out the 

websites listed below to give you an idea of where and when 

you might be able to volunteer in the local area. Alternatively, 

you could spend some time on the Kent Volunteers website, 

which gives volunteering suggestions across the Kent area, 

allowing you to search your interests and places you might be 

prepared to travel to for volunteering, offering opportunities for 

teenagers as well as adults. 

• Organisations – Cranbrook in Kent (tourist.org.uk) 

• Local Information – Cranbrook & Sissinghurst Parish Council 

(cranbrookandsissinghurstpc.co.uk) 

• Online – Kent Volunteers (kentvolunteers.org.uk) 

Happy volunteering! Christine Newman 


LITERATURE 

Recommended Reading 

Read all the 

recommended 

best-sellers? What 

a change of genre? 

Looking for a new 

author for a totally 

different sort of 

read? Try these 

recommendations 

from The Cake’s own 

literary guru Christine 

Newman 

You can take your 

pick from thriller, 

historical fiction, 

romance and real-life 

drama. If you like 

what you read, you can book 

tickets to hear the authors speak 

at the Cranbrook Literature 

Festival on 13 and 14 October 

(www.cranbrookliteraturefestival. 

com). 

Two Women in Rome 

by Elizabeth Buchan 

This is a beautifully atmospheric 

new tale from the prizewinning, 

best-selling novelist Elizabeth 

Buchan. Lottie Archer arrives in 

Rome newly married, excited and 

ready for change as she takes up 

a job as an archivist. When she 

discovers a valuable 15th-century 

painting, she is drawn to find out 

more about the woman who left it 

behind and, in doing so, unravels 

a tragic love story beset by the 

political turmoil of post-war Italy. 

The Beekeeper of Aleppo and 

Songbirds by Christy Lefteri 

In The Beekeeper of Aleppo, 

beekeeper Nuri and his wife, 

Afra – an artist – live a simple 

life, rich in family and friends, 

in the beautiful Syrian city of 

Aleppo – until the unthinkable 

happens. When all they care for 

is destroyed by war, they are 

forced to escape. Songbirds is set 

in the author’s native Cyprus, 

and Christy Lefteri has crafted 

a triumphant follow-up to The 

Beekeeper of Aleppo, which 

illuminates the power of the 

human spirit and the enduring 

love of a mother for her child. 

The Trawlerman by 

William Shaw 

This thriller is pacy, intense and 

riddled with surprising twists, 

and The Trawlerman shows 

that deceit can be found in 

the most unlikely places. The 

brooding waters of the Kent 

coastline offer an ominous 

backdrop for this lively thriller 

of corruption, mental health 

and the complexities of human 

connection. 

The Favour by Nicci French 

When Liam unexpectedly turns 

up in Jude’s life after ten years 

of no contact, asking her for a 

favour, she just can’t say no. 

He was her first love, and even 

though she is now a successful 

doctor and about to get married, 

he will always be someone 

special to her. But after she does 

the favour, she is contacted by 

the police, informing her that 

Liam has been found dead, and 

suddenly she is caught up in a 

murder investigation. 

Winchelsea by Alex Preston 

The year is 1742. Goody Brown, 

saved from drowning and 

adopted when just a babe, 

has grown up happily in the 

smuggling town of Winchelsea. 

But when she turns 16, her 

father is murdered by men he 

thought were friends. In a town 

where lawlessness prevails, 

Goody and her brother Francis 

must enter the cut-throat world 

of her father's killers in order 

to find justice. Facing high 

seas and desperate villains, 

she discovers what life can 

be like without constraints or 

expectations, developing a taste 

for danger that makes her blood 

run fast. 


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LOCAL HISTORY 

MUSEUM 

MATTERS 

CRANBROOK MUSEUM 

AND LOCAL HISTORY C.I.O. 

G 

Exhibition for August - October 2023 

Readers who follow 

this column 

will know that 

the museum 

commissions 

three exhibitions every year. 

This year is no exception 

with the first of them being 

on the history of Cranbrook 

and Sissinghurst’s Pubs. Over 

the past 200 years there have 

been well over 30 inns and 

beer/ale houses with sadly 

only The George, the muchvalued 

Larkins and The 

Milk House in Sissinghurst 

remaining. If you missed this 

intriguing glimpse of our 

town’s past landscape, you 

can always pay us a visit and 

ask to see the archive! 

Our second exhibition 

featured the history of the 

museum itself. This year 

sees the 50th anniversary 

of Cranbrook Rural District 

Council’s inspired decision 

to hand over the lease of 

the building, the former 

medieval farm which 

served the church, to the 

Cranbrook and District Local 

History Society in 1973. 

A dedicated committee of 

volunteers and trustees 

set about turning a damp 

and rat-infested building 

into a museum with TWBC 

honoring the commitment 

in the 1990s, by carrying out 

a restoration of the Grade 

2 listed building, making 

it a safe and charismatic 

location where the history 

and heritage of the town 

and locality is available 

for all to share. The Mayor, 

Deputy Lord Lieutenant, 

TWBC councilors, parish 

councilors, trustees, 

volunteers and History 

Society members 

celebrated this Golden 

Anniversary on a sunny 

Saturday in June. An 

exhibition featured 

the photographs and 

architect’s drawings 

of the restoration, the 

history of the building 

and the volunteers who 

have contributed to 

making the museum a 

significant feature of 

the town. Although this 

exhibition too has now 

finished, the archive 

remains available to 

view. 

Our current 

exhibition, which 

runs until we close 

for the year at the 

end of October, is a 

detailed examination 

of the Russell family 

who were the millers at 

Cranbrook Union Windmill 

for most of its working 

existence, and thanks to 

John Russell’s decision to 

sell it to KCC in 1958 for 

a shilling (5p), it remains 

a working mill and icon of 

the town. Not only were the 

Russell family millers and 

FREE ENTRY 

Open 2pm – 4.30pm Tues – Sat: inc Bank Holidays 

“This year sees the 50th anniversary of Cranbrook Rural District 

Council’s inspired decision to hand over the lease of the building, 

the former medieval farm which served the church, to the 

Cranbrook and District Local History Society in 1973” 

businessmen, running mills 

in and beyond Cranbrook, 

they also fostered artistic 

talents and their sketchbooks 

form part of the exhibition 

with Jane Pugh, who 

researched and curated it, 

contacting current family 

members from as far away as 

the USA and Australia. 

MORE INFORMATION 

Visit the museum between now 

and the end of October to see this 

exhibition – there’s free entry – or 

why not join the History Society 

and find out more about your 

town’s rich heritage? Details on our 

website cranbrookmuseum.org 


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HOME 

Let’s Cook 

Pear and 

Blackberry 

Crumble 

As autumn approaches and BBQs 

and strawberries and cream are 

fading in our memories, what 

could be more appealing than a 

pudding to herald all our seasonal 

fruits? Of course, there is nothing 

to beat the produce of our British 

fruit farmers and if you add a crisp 

and crunchy crumble topping 

to the fruits of your choice you 

have a delicious, satisfying 

dessert. We have chosen pears 

and blackberries for flavour and 

texture and as a good alternative 

to apples. 

The first mention of “crumble” 

– as defined by the Oxford 

Companion to Food – suggests it 

probably originated in the Second 

World War as a quicker and 

easier alternative to pastry using 

whatever limited availability of fat 

there was at the time. 

I am sure everyone of you 

who has made a crumble has a 

favourite recipe for it, but if, like 

me, you have been disappointed 

with some efforts resulting in 

sogginess, stodgy overcooked 

black crumbs or an excessive fine 

sand like texture, then take note 

of the special tips below to ensure 

the crumble is crunchy and golden 

in colour. 

INGREDIENTS 

150g/5oz plain flour 

125g/4oz chilled unsalted butter 

cut into cubes 

35g/3tbsp demerara sugar 

35g/3tbsp caster sugar, plus a 

little extra for poaching the pears 

900g/2lb fresh pears and 

blackberries. Peel and stone the 

pears and cut into quarters 

Tea cup of porridge oats 

Options: You could substitute 

50g/2oz ground almonds for 

50g/2oz plain flour to add extra 

flavour. Tea cup of hazelnuts/ 

pistachios instead of oats. 

METHOD 

1. Lightly poach the pears in a 

tablespoon of water in a pan 

over a low heat. As soon as it 

starts to simmer, sprinkle over 

a dessertspoon of caster sugar. 

When the pears start to soften, 

add the blackberries to bring to 

the boil for 1 

minute. Then 

remove from 

the heat and 

set aside to 

cool. 

2. The crumble 

mixture is 

traditionally done 

by hand in a mixing 

bowl. Rub the butter and flour 

together with your fingertips until 

large rough breadcrumbs are 

formed. For those with less time 

you can use a food processor but 

be careful to use this on pulse 

only. Mixing it too much tends 

to reduce the mixture to a sandy 

texture, which becomes more 

cake-like than crunchy once 

cooked. 

3. Once the butter and flour are 

combined, stir in the sugars. If you 

are using a food processor then 

add the sugars and pulse three 

times. 

SPECIAL 

CRUNCHY 

GOLDEN CRUMBLE TIPS 

• Sprinkle with a little cold water 

and fork through until you have a 

lumpy crumbly mixture. 

• Put the mixture into the freezer 

for 10 mins before baking or into 

the fridge if you plan to bake 

the crumble later. 

4. Put your 

poached fruit 

into a lightly 

greased 

shallow 

baking dish 

and sprinkle 

on some sugar 

according to taste, 

bearing in mind the 

sweetness of the crumble mixture 

topping. 

5. Spread the crumble over the 

top of the fruit avoiding pressing 

it down and here you can sprinkle 

on your oats or nuts if you are 

adding these as your option. Bake 

for around 30 mins at 190–200ºC/ 

Gas 6 until golden and bubbling 

juices are just starting to appear. 

This makes an excellent crunchy 

golden crumble for everyone 

to enjoy as a delicious autumn 

dessert. 


BADGER’S PLOT 

JOBS ON THE PLOT 

Autumn Almanac 

Autumn is 

a period 

when we can 

start to take 

stock of the 

year to date. Gardeners 

are continuing to face 

the challenges of our 

unpredictable climate. 

One area particularly 

affected has been fruit 

growing. Here in the Weald 

we had lower than usual 

average temperatures 

during the spring and 

the warmer weather 

was late in arriving, 

which has translated 

into later harvests of 

strawberries, raspberries 

and blackberries. We also 

suffered a prolonged dry 

spell that created stresses 

for plants that reacted 

by going to seed early. 

Seed germination rates, 

particularly for vegetables, 

also seemed to be affected 

and having a greenhouse 

didn’t always guarantee 

results. I’m beginning to 

wonder about the quality of 

the seeds we are buying. 

The hosepipe ban back 

in June acted as a reminder 

to consider the use of water 

butts to collect and store 

rainwater for future use. 

A visit to the allotments 

in Cranbrook revealed a 

surprising number of sheds 

without this simple device. 

Due to the presence of 

nitrates, rainwater is very 

beneficial for good plant 

health. 

As usual, the planned 

work for this period has 

been split into three. 

EARLY AUTUMN 

Sowing in the greenhouse 

or outside 

Spring cabbage, winter 

lettuce and radishes. 

Onions, if grown from 

seed. It’s not too late to try 

a sowing of French dwarf 

beans. 

Harvesting 

Lift and store onions. 

Continue to harvest beans, 

tomatoes, courgettes and 

cucumbers. 

Mid-Autumn 

Sowing in the greenhouse or 

outside 

Broad beans. 

Planting outside 

Garlic cloves. 

Harvesting 

Marrows, squashes and 

pumpkins if frost is forecast. 

Carrots, cabbage and 

sprouts should be available. 

LATE AUTUMN 

Planting outside 

Broad beans. 

Harvesting 

Parsnips, carrots, leeks, 

beetroot, swede, sprouts 

and remaining salads. Pick 

autumn fruiting raspberries. 

The spotlight this issue is on weeds. It always 

seems that a disproportionate amount of 

time is spent removing them, but there 

are some types of weed that are incredibly 

invasive and will keep returning. Examples 

are bindweed and creeping thistle. These 

weeds will be a serious problem for years 

if we fail to break the chain of 

reproduction. Both are similar; 

their root systems spread very 

quickly underground. In the 

case of bindweed, where it 

breaks the surface, the plant 

will seek out and envelop 

anything nearby and eventually 

smother it, producing recognisable 

white trumpet-like flowers during the 

summer. To make matters worse, 

there are some varieties that 

can penetrate up to 5m into the 

soil. It can also extend outwards 

from the centre at a rate of 2m 

in a single season. The weed 

can easily regenerate from the 

smallest segment of root left in 

the ground when attempts are 

being made to clear it. 

Creeping thistle has a 

horizontal root system spreading out 

from a single tap root. Buds form at intervals 

that develop into shoots. The plants can 

become quite large and will dominate 

supplies of nutrients and moisture. Like 

bindweed, creeping thistle can regenerate 

from the smallest pieces of root. 

Avoiding harmful chemicals, what can 

gardeners do to deal with this menace? 

Trying to dig or hoe it out risks leaving 

behind those pieces that will regenerate, 

but over time, the plant will be weakened 

and brought under control. In the case of 

bindweed, we are talking about four or 

five years. Placing a physical barrier to cut 

off light and moisture can also produce 

results, given time. Mypex polypropylene 

control fabric is an expensive but effective 

solution. Many gardeners employ redundant 

carpeting to control weeds, but there is a 

risk that materials used in the carpet contain 

chemicals or other harmful substances and 

cannot therefore be recommended. A final 

warning is not to put any of these two types 

of weed on your compost heap as you will 

simply be recycling it. Badger 


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FARMING & AGRICULTURE 

Farm Succession 

and Change 

I 

was sad to discover that Dove Farm 

no longer sells soft fruit. The farmer 

has retired and, with no-one wanting 

to take it on, the trees have all 

been grubbed out. This led me to a 

discussion with Nigel Wickham, who farms 

at Hartley, about farm succession over 

generations. 

Many years ago, great estates were created 

by wealthy individuals who had made money 

in business. The estates had tenant farmers 

who were the backbone of food supply. Over 

time these estates decayed and farms were 

sold off to sitting tenants, enabling them 

to start their own dynasties, which in turn 

decayed. Death duties were the destroyers of 

estates. 

As a farming community, we are at a 

point of change in land ownership, driven 

by shopping habits, machine farming and 

the housing market. Supermarkets are now 

the go-to place to shop, giving them huge 

financial clout helped in no small part by 

the British obsession for cheap food. Supply 

chains have been reorganised – small 

abattoirs have been closed (and sold for 

housing, such as in Lamberhurst) – small 

farms find it hard to compete with large 

farms who can meet the volume demands of 

supermarkets. Large farms can be profitable 

by being very efficient, using capital 

intensive modern machines that need large 

(square!) fields and skilled operatives. 

A farmer can sell 10 acres for housing and 

buy 1000 acres of grade 1 farming land to 

make a large productive farm, or a wealthy 

individual can invest in farmland to protect 

their wealth from death duties and create a 

new estate. 

However, our beautiful countryside is not 

grade 1 land, nor is it conducive to large 

square fields – there are too many hills and 

ghylls. When the next generation no longer 

wants to carry on farming, perhaps by going 

to university and finding other interests, the 

farms are sold or farmed under contract. 

Hereabouts the land use may change, 

being contract farmed, perhaps becoming 

a solar farm or become part of new, large 

estates funded by money from business 

carrying on traditional mixed farming. 

Small farming should be profitable by 

growing niche, high-value crops such as soft 

fruit: cherries, blackcurrants, raspberries, 

strawberries. However, these need pickers, 

who are increasingly difficult to recruit, 

particularly from abroad. 

The cycle continues. 


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We specialise in providing high quality bespoke advice and 

planning to individuals, families, trustees and businesses. 

Call 01580 211 211 

or email burfieldshousewm@sjpp.co.uk 

www.burfieldshousewm.co.uk 

George Cottage, High Street, Cranbrook, TN17 3DF 

Burfields House Wealth Management Ltd is an Appointed Representative of and represents only St. James’s Place 

Wealth Management plc (which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority) for the purpose 

of advising solely on the group’s wealth management products and services, more details of which are set out on 

the group’s website www.sjp.co.uk/product. The titles ‘Partner’ and ‘Partner Practice’ are marketing terms 

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SJP Approved 20/04/2023 

Helen Grant 

MP for Maidstone 

and the Weald 

I am here to help you in 

any way that I can. If there 

is an issue of concern to 

you, where you believe 

I can assist, or if you 

would like to arrange a 

meeting with me, please 

email me at helen.grant. 

mp@parliament.uk or 

telephone 020 7219 7107. 

helengrant.org 

@HelenGrantMPntMP 

HelenGrantMP 

Produced by 

Helen Grant MP, 

House of Commons, 

London SW1A 0AA 

38 The Cake • Autumn 2022

LEGAL ADVICE 

Ask our Friendly 

Experts 

Pensions and Divorce 

With the 

economy as it 

is and rising 

costs generally, 

understandably, 

more and more couples are 

choosing to sort things out 

between themselves when they 

separate, rather than taking 

legal advice. However, although 

the divorce process itself is now 

much simpler than it used to be, 

meaning that couples can usually 

deal with it without assistance 

from lawyers, people are often 

unaware that a divorce final order 

just ends the marriage, leaving 

financial arrangements to be 

finalised. Sorting out the finances 

is still a potentially complex 

exercise and as the consequences 

of any financial agreement can be 

significant, reaching a financial 

agreement without proper advice 

is never the sensible option. 

One potentially crucial issue 

that is often not properly dealt 

with (or is even completely 

overlooked) by couples sorting 

out finances without advice, 

is pensions. So, what should 

couples consider when dealing 

with pensions? Firstly, not all 

pensions are the same, as there 

are two types of pensions: 

defined benefit (DB) and defined 

contribution (DC). The majority 

of pensions are DC schemes 

and are often referred to as 

money purchase schemes, as 

contributions are paid into the 

scheme by the employee or their 

employer. The funds are then 

invested and as they are therefore 

subject to rises and falls in the 

market, the amount which will 

ultimately be paid out by way of 

pension, cannot be guaranteed 

until the employee retires. 

However at any stage, the capital 

value (CEV) of the employee’s 

fund can be identified, as it is the 

value of the individual’s fund at 

that date. 

DB pensions differ 

fundamentally from DC schemes. 

They are typically held by public 

sector employees, for example 

NHS workers, teachers and the 

police and are often referred 

to as final salary or career 

average schemes. These schemes 

differ from DC schemes as the 

sums paid on retirement are 

determined not by contributions, 

but by the employee’s salary and 

length of employment. As there 

is no individual pension pot (as 

there is with a DC pension), the 

CEV quoted for a DB pension, 

may not accurately reflect the 

value of that individual’s pension 

and often may significantly 

understate its value. This means 

that a couple trying to share 

their pensions based on the CEVs 

alone, may not be working on the 

true value of one or more of the 

funds and this could result in a 

fundamentally unfair division of 

the pensions. 

Another trap which couples 

can fall into, is assuming that a 

pound of a pension CEV is equal 

in value to a pound of another 

asset, such as savings or even 

equity in a house. This is not 

the case, as not only should tax 

be taken into account, but as 

pensions, unlike other assets, 

cannot be accessed at any stage, 

this means that the “utility” value 

of a pension fund may well be 

significantly less than the same 

amount of equity or savings. 

Although this difference may well 

reduce the closer the couple is to 

retirement, it nevertheless should 

not be ignored. 

Often when couples separate, 

one of them will have a better 

understanding of financial 

matters than the other, which 

leaves them vulnerable. For 

example, they may agree to 

take more equity in a house in 

exchange for forgoing a share in 

the pensions, without any real 

understanding of the value of 

what they are losing and what 

this might mean in the future for 

their retirement. It is therefore 

important for the less financially 

aware party to take advice from 

a lawyer and possibly from a 

pension expert, before making 

any decisions about pensions. 

So, if you are going through, or 

considering a divorce, the moral 

of this tale is to find out what 

your options are, so that, armed 

with this knowledge, you can be 

confident that any agreement 

you make will not only provide 

you with financial security in 

the short term, but also in your 

retirement. 

If you would like to find out 

more about pensions on divorce, 

or any other divorce or separation 

issue in order to ensure you make 

the right decisions for you for 

now and for the future, please 

contact our family team for a 

free, no obligation 30-minute 

consultation in either our 

Cranbrook or Tunbridge Wells 

offices. 

MARGARET SCULPHER 

01580 712215 

MSculpher@bussmurton. 

co.uk 

Quote Cake Magazine 

Clermont House, High Street, 

Cranbrook, TN17 3DN 

01580 712 215 or info@ 

bussmurton.co.uk 

www.bussmurton.co.uk 


Update 

Councillor Surgeries: 

“It’s good to talk” 

By using the words of the late, 

great Bob Hoskins – in the BT 

advert – I’m conscious that I’m 

showing my age. Nevertheless, 

his message remains strong 

and clear: we achieve so much more by 

communicating directly with one another. 

As members of the parish we have all been 

faced with many surveys over the past couple 

of months. While we hope it is not the case, 

it is entirely possible that these have passed 

you by. As a council we want and need to 

speak with as many (all?) of you who live 

in the parish to ensure we are representing 

and acting upon your thoughts and views. Of 

course, that is easier said than done. 

THANK YOU TO BUSINESSES AND 

COMMUNITY HUBS 

In the case of the recent Community Assets 

Survey, we have been delighted and very 

grateful for the support of local businesses 

and existing community hubs for displaying 

posters and leaflets alerting you to the 

survey. Added to this, our website has been 

updated and we are now using Twitter and 

Instagram more pro-actively. 

These are all excellent routes to engage 

with you. But face-to-face sessions, while 

also giving us both the opportunities to 

discuss things such as the reasoning behind 

said surveys, allow you to talk to us about 

anything which you feel is important. 

Yes, there is still the opportunity to come 

to the monthly council meetings (on the 

Parish Council website under PC Diary, 

Agenda and Minutes). But we recognise that 

the timings may not be convenient and, 

however open and welcoming we try to be, 

a formal meeting is not everyone’s cup of 

tea. Not everyone relishes speaking in front 

of a group, preferring to talk through their 

feelings with one or two people in a more 

informal setting. 

COUNCILLOR SURGERIES 

This is where the Councillor Surgeries come 

in. We have decided to run regular sessions 

where you can drop in and talk about the 

issues which are affecting you. We can’t 

promise to solve everything; but we can 

promise to listen, advise where we are able 

and ensure that your voice is heard. 

Details of the dates, times and venues 

of the surgeries up until Christmas are as 

follows: 

• Tuesday 26 September – 9.15am: Addison 

Room, Parish Council Office, Cranbrook 

• Tuesday 31 October – 9.15am: Addison 


• Tuesday 28 November – 9.15am: Parish 

Rooms, Sissinghurst 

• Tuesday 12 December –9.15am: Addison 


Dates for 2024 will be published in the 

December edition of The Cake, on the 

website, on various noticeboards around the 

parish, at the Parish Council Offices and, 

unsurprisingly, at the Councillor Meetings 

themselves. We look forward to meeting you. 

Cllr David Selby 


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THE CAKE MEETS... 

Claire Margetts 

and Liz Halley 

The Cake meets the Scholars of Sissinghurst Castle Garden 

On a balmy, fragrant 

May evening in 

the abundant 

Rose Garden at 

Sissinghurst, 

Graham Holmes met Claire 

Margetts, the National Trust’s 

first-ever Sissinghurst Scholar, 

on an 18-month scholarship 

aimed at developing head 

gardeners of the future; along 

with new Growing Scholar 

Liz Halley who has recently 

embarked on her one-year 

scholarship to learn invaluable 

skills specifically in propagation 

and vegetable growing. 

Both are delighted to be given 

the opportunity to work in this 

world-renowned garden. Claire, 

on a five-year plan to become a 

craft-level head gardener, has 

been in post at Sissinghurst 

since October 2022 while Liz 

began her scholarship in June 

this year. 

Claire says, “It’s a dream 

come true to be living and 

learning in the prestigious 

garden of Sissinghurst, to 

be gardening in the spirit 

of Harold Nicolson and Vita 

Sackville-West under the expert 

tutelage of head gardener Troy 

Scott Smith and his team.” 

The Sissinghurst scholarship 

offer a unique insight into the 

leadership of garden-makers 

of some of the world’s most 

influential 20th-century flower 

gardens, offering opportunities 

to shadow leaders, including 

stints at Monet’s Garden 

in Giverny, Beth Chatto, 

Bodnant, Hidcote, Great Dixter, 

Chanticleer and Filoli among 

others. 

Growing Scholar Liz is 

learning expert growing skills 

under Senior Propagator Karol 

Davies and Senior Organic 

Vegetable Gardener Olivia 

Steed-Mundin. After watching 

Liz at work, Claire commented, 

“As a head gardener of the 

future and with the prospect 

of a skills shortage within the 

industry, it is wonderful to see 

Liz developing… Looking to 

the future, I look forward to 

developing and motivating my 

own team of craft gardeners 

and volunteers – I’d love to be 

able to employ someone with 

the invaluable skills she is 

learning.” 

Philip Barnes, general 

manager for the Sissinghurst 

Portfolio says, “The Sissinghurst 

Scholarship Programme exists 

through the generosity of 

donations from supporters. 

If you would like to know 

more about the programme 

and how you may be able to 

fund future scholars then 

please do get in touch: philip. 

barnes@nationaltrust.org.uk. 

These donations support the 

investment and development 

of future gardeners caring for 

some of the most significant 

gardens in the country.” 

Excitingly, as this goes to 

press, we have recruited our 

second Sissinghurst Scholar, 

Paul Mooncie-Dunmall, who 

will join Claire and the team in 

September. 

ABOVE: Claire Margetts, 

Sissinghurst Scholar (left) and Liz 

Halley, Growing Scholar (right) 

SAFFRON PRENTIS, ASSISTANT HEAD GARDENER. SISSINGHURST/NATIONAL TRUST IMAGE 


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Local firm of solicitors for all your 

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Property Conveyancing 

Family, Children & Divorce 

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CRANBROOK | TUNBRIDGE WELLS | EAST GRINSTEAD 

Buss Murton Law LLP is a Limited Liability Partnership No. OC345994 and is authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority

Autumn 2023

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