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Tasty local stories, published by Cranbrook and Sissinghurst Parish Council<br />
<strong>Spring</strong> <strong>2022</strong> | FREE<br />
Truly Natural Living<br />
Paley Farm<br />
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
Care Workers<br />
FULL TIME & PART TIME CARE WORKERS<br />
REQUIRED IN TENTERDEN, CRANBROOK, STAPLEHURST<br />
AND MOST OF THE SURROUNDING VILLAGES<br />
Could be your main income, or just a few hours to supplement your Furlough Pay<br />
(subject to your contract with employer)<br />
We have Mornings, Lunchtimes, Teatimes, Evenings and Weekend<br />
calls available. Also some Domestic Calls & Sleep-Ins to cover.<br />
NVQ Trained Worker<br />
Travel Time - Now paid at £8.91 per hour<br />
Mileage - 15p per mile<br />
Hourly Rate - £10.00 p.h Mon - Fri and £11.00 p.h at W/E<br />
Holiday Pay - 5.6 weeks paid seperately<br />
Non NVQ<br />
£8.91 per hour<br />
15p per mile<br />
£9.50 & £10.50<br />
Same<br />
Any experience is beneficial such as raising children, looking after elderly<br />
parents/grand children. But, FULL TRAINING will be provided to all applicants<br />
Why not contact us to discuss more about the<br />
work and what hours you are looking for?<br />
Call Natalie or Chloe 01580 762244<br />
<strong>The</strong>se positions are exempt from the rehabilitation of offenders act
Published by Cranbrook and<br />
Sissinghurst Parish Council<br />
EDITOR<br />
Trisha Fermor - rt.fermor@googlemail.com<br />
ADVERTISING SALES<br />
David Hobden - 01892 677741<br />
davidh@spacemarketing.co.uk<br />
ADMIN SUPPORT<br />
Graham Holmes - gpholmes@hotmail.co.uk<br />
PRODUCED BY<br />
Tally Rix - Coffee Shop Media Ltd - 01580 848555<br />
tally@coffeeshopmedia.com<br />
PUBLISHED BY<br />
Cranbrook and Sissinghurst Parish Council<br />
01580 713112<br />
www.cranbrookandsissinghurstpc.co.uk<br />
Whilst every effort is made to ensure<br />
accuracy, the Cranbrook and Sissinghurst<br />
Parish Council, editor and authors cannot<br />
be held responsible for published errors.<br />
<strong>The</strong> views or opinions expressed do not<br />
necessarily reflect views of the Cranbrook<br />
and Sissinghurst Parish Council. Inclusion<br />
of any advertising material does not constitute a guarantee<br />
or endorsement of any products or services or claims made.<br />
SOMETHING FOR THE CAKE?<br />
We love to hear from you. Please send all ideas for<br />
contributions to <strong>The</strong> <strong>Cake</strong> to<br />
rt.fermor@googlemail.com by 2 May <strong>2022</strong>.<br />
welcome<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Cake</strong> team is delighted to announce the<br />
fifth birthday of this much-praised magazine<br />
and is happy to share with you the 20th<br />
edition!<br />
Launched by the late Brian Clifford, it has<br />
evolved into a quarterly magazine which<br />
keeps its readers up to date with news so<br />
often ignored by local newspapers.<br />
This month, we are sadly reporting the<br />
resignation of two councillors, Nancy Warne<br />
and John Smith, who have both given years of<br />
service to the parish. We wish them well.<br />
We are saddened that our vicar, the Rev<br />
Ann Pollington, has taken her final service<br />
and left the vicarage. We thank her for<br />
devoting herself to our beautiful church and to the town and wish her well in<br />
her retirement.<br />
Again, <strong>The</strong> <strong>Cake</strong> is outlining the very real fears for the future of St<br />
Dunstan’s Church, the fight to re-open the former High Weald Academy and<br />
our chairman’s view on how YOU can help Cranbrook to thrive in years to<br />
come.<br />
We very much hope that parishioners will all receive their copy of <strong>The</strong> <strong>Cake</strong>,<br />
via Royal Mail, but if not please let us know.<br />
Cllr. Trisha Fermor, editor<br />
FRONT COVER<br />
Buy delicious grass fed meat reared<br />
to the highest welfare and nutritional<br />
standards from Paley Farm, Cranbrook.<br />
Sustainably farmed from pasture to<br />
plate, truly natural living. Order online<br />
or visit the new onsite butchery at Paley<br />
Farm, Paley Lane, Cranbrook TN17 2LX.<br />
www.paleyfarm.co.uk<br />
Inside this issue<br />
REGULARS<br />
5 Directory<br />
7 Chairman’s Comment<br />
8 Letters<br />
10 Development<br />
12 Local News<br />
14 Club News<br />
15 Event News<br />
16 Support Local – spotlight<br />
on food and drink; advice<br />
on health and wellbeing<br />
18 Local Comment – Helen<br />
Grant MP, Rev Ann, parish<br />
warden Ivor Hatcher<br />
30 Kids’ Corner<br />
32 Kitchen & Garden<br />
35 Badger’s Plot<br />
41 Parish Council Update<br />
FEATURES<br />
11 High Weald Academy – an<br />
update and an appeal<br />
20 Local Health – Everyday<br />
Active Champion and<br />
Hands of Hope<br />
25 Save St Dunstan’s – just<br />
£12 a year could make all<br />
the difference<br />
27 Wildlife Champion – Nigel<br />
Witham and his passion for<br />
nature<br />
29 Museum Matters – a new<br />
painting joins the collection<br />
37 Arts – local artists illustrate<br />
storytelling in different<br />
mediums<br />
39 Legal Advice – divorce law<br />
changes<br />
42 <strong>The</strong> <strong>Cake</strong> Chats With…<br />
Troy Scott-Smith, head<br />
gardener, Sissinghurst<br />
Castle Garden<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Cake</strong> • <strong>Spring</strong> <strong>2022</strong> 3
In Pictures<br />
Send us your snaps from in and around Cranbrook and Sissinghurst for inclusion in the next<br />
issue. Email the editor at rt.fermor@googlemail.com<br />
Busy bee, captured<br />
by Alan Ford<br />
"Dinner time!" captured<br />
by Alan Ford<br />
Red sky in Sissinghurst,<br />
captured by Trisha Fermor<br />
4 <strong>The</strong> <strong>Cake</strong> • <strong>Spring</strong> <strong>2022</strong>
DIRECTORY<br />
directory<br />
A list of useful contacts in<br />
Cranbrook and Sissinghurst<br />
POET’S CORNER<br />
An ode to his school, this poem is written<br />
by a pupil of the new Belle Vue School,<br />
Cranbrook<br />
Cranbrook and Sissinghurst<br />
Parish Council<br />
<strong>The</strong> Old Fire Station, Stone Street,<br />
Cranbrook, KENT TN17 3HF<br />
Clerk – Mrs. L. Ham<br />
Deputy Clerk – Mrs. L. Thirkell<br />
Deputy Clerk - Mrs. C. Bezuidenhout<br />
01580 713112 / clerk@<br />
cranbrookandsissinghurstpc.co.uk<br />
BOROUGH & COUNTY<br />
COUNCILS<br />
Tunbridge Wells Borough Council<br />
01892 526121<br />
www.tunbridgewells.gov.uk<br />
Kent County Council<br />
03000 41 41 41 / www.kent.gov.uk<br />
01580 713112 (10am-12pm weekdays).<br />
A full list of over 30 venues for hire in the<br />
parish is available from the parish office<br />
USEFUL CONTACTS<br />
CHURCHES<br />
Congregational Church,<br />
Cranbrook: 01580 388070<br />
St. Dunstan’s, Cranbrook:<br />
01580 715861<br />
St. <strong>The</strong>odore’s RC, Cranbrook:<br />
01580 713364<br />
Strict Baptist Church, Cranbrook:<br />
01580 713212<br />
Trinity Church, Sissinghurst:<br />
01580 852275<br />
Vine Church, Cranbrook: 01580 712620<br />
USEFUL NUMBERS<br />
UTILITIES<br />
Electricity: 0800 727282 (24 hrs)<br />
Gas: 0800 111 999<br />
Water: South East Water (drinking<br />
water) 0800 0283399, Southern<br />
Water (waste water) 0800 820999 (24<br />
hrs), Emergency leak 0800 0283399,<br />
Floodline 0845 9881188 (24 hrs)<br />
CRIME<br />
Non-Emergency Police: 101<br />
Crime Stoppers: 0800 555111<br />
KCC Community Warden: Adam<br />
Osborn - 07813 695741<br />
PCSO: Simon Humphreys -<br />
simon.humphreys@kent.police.uk<br />
Neighbourhood Watch Area<br />
Co-ordinator: 01622 604395<br />
In an emergency i.e. if life is in danger<br />
or a crime is in progress call 999. To<br />
request non urgent police assistance,<br />
to report crime or to make enquiry<br />
call 101. Non urgent correspondence<br />
and crime can be reported via the Live<br />
Chat icon at www.kent.police.uk<br />
ROOMS & HALLS TO HIRE<br />
St George’s Institute, Sissinghurst:<br />
Ursula O’Connor 01580 713938<br />
<strong>The</strong> Parish Room, Sissinghurst: Sue<br />
Crowe 01580 712567<br />
ts.crowe74@gmail.com<br />
<strong>The</strong> Vestry Hall, Council Chamber and<br />
Addison VC Room, Cranbrook:<br />
SCHOOLS AND PRE SCHOOLS<br />
Colliers Green CE Primary:<br />
01580 211335<br />
Cranbrook CE Primary: 01580 713249<br />
Cranbrook Children’s Centre:<br />
03000 41 10 35<br />
Cranbrook School: 01580 711800<br />
Dulwich Preparatory School:<br />
01580 712179<br />
High Weald Academy: 01580 712754<br />
Rainbow Pre School, Cranbrook:<br />
01580 715570<br />
Sissinghurst CE Primary: 01580 713895<br />
Woodpeckers Pre School, Cranbrook:<br />
01580 720195<br />
DOCTORS<br />
Old School Surgery, Cranbrook:<br />
01580 712476<br />
Orchard End Surgery, Cranbrook:<br />
01580 713622<br />
<strong>The</strong> Crane Surgery, Cranbrook<br />
01580 712260<br />
DEFIBRILLATORS<br />
Cramp Club, Cranbrook<br />
Cranbrook Fire Station<br />
Cranbrook Medical Centre, Cranbrook<br />
Cricket Club, Sissinghurst<br />
Parish Council office<br />
Sissinghurst Castle Garden<br />
St. George’s Institute, Sissinghurst<br />
Tennis Club, Sissinghurst<br />
<strong>The</strong> George Hotel, Cranbrook<br />
<strong>The</strong> Milkhouse, Sissinghurst<br />
Beautiful View<br />
At Belle Vue, we don’t judge.<br />
We don’t preconceive, we never<br />
hold a grudge.<br />
Instead, we build up diligence<br />
and resilience.<br />
We don’t stagnate, we<br />
encourage brilliance.<br />
<strong>The</strong> building.<br />
A perfect manifestation of our<br />
foremost goal.<br />
To give each of our students a<br />
place in society, whatever the<br />
role. Along the way we will<br />
nurture and inspire to reach<br />
our final goal.<br />
To help our learners achieve<br />
whatever they desire.<br />
Here community is of upmost<br />
paramounce.<br />
<strong>The</strong> solipsistic and indolent we<br />
most definitely denounce. Belle<br />
Vue is happily partnered with<br />
many other groups, whatever<br />
they do, we welcome them into<br />
the loop.<br />
So welcome to our school.<br />
To get where you want, we will<br />
give you the fuel. Good grades,<br />
we will get you earning.<br />
Belle Vue, a different way of<br />
learning.<br />
By Jacob<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Cake</strong> • <strong>Spring</strong> <strong>2022</strong> 5
COMMENT<br />
CLLR KIM FLETCHER<br />
Chairman’s<br />
Message<br />
Sadly, we have had to<br />
say goodbye to two<br />
councillors, Nancy<br />
Warne, who has<br />
done sterling work<br />
heading up the Neighbourhood<br />
Development Plan, and John<br />
Smith, who led planning and<br />
been a mainstay of Sissinghurst<br />
activities. <strong>The</strong>y have devoted<br />
so much time and energy to<br />
making the parish a better place<br />
and deserve your thanks.<br />
Our community is built on<br />
people connecting with one<br />
another and finding common<br />
interests that create a glue that<br />
makes a strong community.<br />
Mostly this is based on giving<br />
time to your interests which<br />
also benefits others. In this<br />
edition of <strong>The</strong> <strong>Cake</strong> you will see<br />
many opportunities to share<br />
your experiences and energies<br />
to create a stronger community<br />
and add to your own well-being.<br />
Many of us are concerned<br />
that the closure of High Weald<br />
Academy will weaken our<br />
community, and elsewhere in<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Cake</strong>, you will read about<br />
the parish council’s initiative to<br />
get it reopened.<br />
<strong>The</strong> closure of the public<br />
toilets has been a source of<br />
frustration since the continued<br />
vandalism caused TWBC to gift<br />
the building to the parish. <strong>The</strong>re<br />
is good news on the horizon,<br />
thanks to Cllr Colin Gilbert who<br />
has put enormous time and<br />
effort into re-opening them<br />
soon.<br />
Hopefully, this will prevent<br />
fouling of footpaths around the<br />
town. We will put a new wooden<br />
Cllr Colin Gilbert has put enormous time and effort into the re-opening of the public toilets in Cranbrook.<br />
See page 19 for more.<br />
youth shelter in the Crane<br />
Valley for youngsters to have<br />
somewhere to meet, and not<br />
wreck the WCs.<br />
This is a huge risk with your<br />
council tax money to try to stop<br />
the vandalism of the toilets.<br />
<strong>The</strong> damage cost most of all<br />
TWBC’s budget for WC repairs.<br />
Hopefully, the fast-food outlets<br />
will publicise the 24/7 aspect of<br />
their being open.<br />
<strong>The</strong> new children’s play<br />
equipment on the Ball Field and<br />
Jubilee Field has caused some<br />
upset as it is different and raised<br />
some concerns. Councillors had<br />
diligently sought new, exciting<br />
equipment for the sites. <strong>The</strong>y<br />
are your elected representatives<br />
who devote their time to the<br />
common good, using their<br />
expertise and contacts to come<br />
up with the best overall solution<br />
for the long term. Decisions are<br />
made, not everyone is pleased,<br />
but hopefully the majority will<br />
be.<br />
Parishioners could be working<br />
together to create wider use of<br />
our sports’ facilities. It is good<br />
to report that the Weald Sports<br />
Centre, run by Fusion, is to<br />
spend £1.17m on improvements.<br />
Nearby, is the Weald<br />
Cranbrook Sports Club,<br />
previously the rugby club, which<br />
has burgeoning membership<br />
and needs room to expand. It<br />
also has extensive parking.<br />
<strong>The</strong> parish owns and manages<br />
the Ball Field, while Cranbrook<br />
School shares Jaeger’s field<br />
with the sports club for rugby.<br />
I salute Mark Lawrence and<br />
Wellbeing in the Weald for their<br />
efforts to increase the access to<br />
activities.<br />
Are you making the most of<br />
the facilities?<br />
Cllr Kim Fletcher, chairman<br />
of Cranbrook and Sissinghurst<br />
Parish Council<br />
ROGER FERMOR<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Cake</strong> • <strong>Spring</strong> <strong>2022</strong> 7
letters<br />
www.bussmurton.co.uk | T: 01580 712 215<br />
Cranbrook in<br />
Bloom<br />
I moved to Cranbrook last<br />
February and was keen to<br />
get involved in the local<br />
community and make some<br />
new friends locally. I found<br />
Cranbrook in Bloom whilst<br />
searching online for local<br />
activities and events. It was<br />
easy to make contact, a quick<br />
email, and I soon found myself<br />
chatting on the phone with<br />
Marian Cumberland who was<br />
very welcoming and informed<br />
me of all upcoming events.<br />
Since then I have met some<br />
lovely people and become<br />
involved in various activities<br />
such as planting flowers in the<br />
High Street planters, tidying up<br />
the plants on the roundabout<br />
and making holly wreaths for<br />
the Christmas fair. I particularly<br />
enjoyed serving tea and cakes<br />
at the Garden Safari in June in a<br />
beautiful Cranbrook garden.<br />
My experience of<br />
volunteering with Cranbrook in<br />
Bloom has been very positive.<br />
I have discovered more about<br />
Cranbrook and made some<br />
new friends and would highly<br />
recommend to other local<br />
people that they give it a try.<br />
Debbie Batstone<br />
Playground<br />
disappointment<br />
I understand the parish<br />
council has come in for<br />
some criticism regarding<br />
the amount spent and<br />
the choice made on the<br />
behalf of children on the<br />
new play equipment at<br />
the Ball Field, Cranbrook.<br />
As a regular user of the<br />
playground with my<br />
children, I agree that<br />
the previous wooden<br />
structure needed to be<br />
removed, but the play<br />
value that piece had was<br />
enormous. <strong>The</strong>re was an<br />
area to climb, an area to<br />
navigate, a place to hide,<br />
a place to strive to reach,<br />
a place to build strength,<br />
a place to be high, a place<br />
to be low, and the bark was<br />
just a joy in itself – tower<br />
building, potion making,<br />
creatures to create etc.<br />
While I appreciate there<br />
was long ‘consultation’<br />
with suppliers of<br />
equipment, where was the<br />
consultation with the end<br />
users, the kids?! I know<br />
Goudhurst Parish Council<br />
made an awesome effort<br />
when they replaced their<br />
equipment, with three<br />
alternatives drawn up<br />
and circulated and a<br />
vote taken. Surely<br />
this could have<br />
been achieved here.<br />
Having Googled<br />
around, it seems this<br />
is pretty standard<br />
practice…<br />
While I understand<br />
this metal structure will<br />
be here for decades, next<br />
time, please, please your<br />
common sense.<br />
Henrietta Cox<br />
Please send<br />
your letters to:<br />
rt.fermor@googlemail.com<br />
or by post to <strong>The</strong> <strong>Cake</strong>, Cranbrook<br />
and Sissinghurst<br />
Parish Council, <strong>The</strong> Old Fire<br />
Station, Stone Street, Cranbrook,<br />
TN17 3HF. Please note, letters may<br />
be published in a shortened form at<br />
the discretion of the editor.<br />
A Street Party to Remember<br />
Thanks once again to the talents of sisters Wendy Waters and Julie Sales, Cranbrook will be in celebration mode on 5 June, this time to<br />
celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.<br />
<strong>The</strong> pair are organising a massive street party in the High Street (which will be closed!) and we are all urged to go along and turn it<br />
into a grand celebration for the Queen – the first monarch on the planet to have celebrated 70 years on the throne.<br />
Bring your tables and chairs, some bunting and Union flags. <strong>The</strong>re will be bands, food outlets and face painting but you can bring<br />
your own fun as well!<br />
Make it a day everyone, especially our children, will remember for a very long time!<br />
Monty Woods<br />
8 <strong>The</strong> <strong>Cake</strong> • <strong>Spring</strong> <strong>2022</strong>
We have been providing expert and<br />
trusted legal advice to individuals and<br />
businesses for generations.<br />
SHOP OF THE SEASON<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Cake</strong> is launching a special competition, judged by the<br />
team, to find the best shop design in town and there will be a<br />
trophy for the winner!<br />
Each quarter, we will pick the winner and picture it in <strong>The</strong><br />
<strong>Cake</strong>. Congratulations to Mrs T Potts Sweet Shoppe at 35 Stone<br />
Street, Cranbrook, for leading the pack this spring. A triumph<br />
of nostalgia and fun. A trophy will be winging its way to you<br />
shortly! TF<br />
Caring for heads, shoulders…<br />
Knees<br />
Toes<br />
PODIATRY<br />
Biomechanics<br />
Gait analysis<br />
Orthotics<br />
Insoles<br />
CHIROPODY<br />
Corns<br />
Callus<br />
Blisters<br />
Verucaes<br />
SHOE FITTINGS<br />
Running<br />
Walking<br />
Trail<br />
Back to school<br />
MASSAGE THERAPY<br />
Tight muscles<br />
Stress relief<br />
Improve mobility<br />
Promote healing<br />
PHYSIOTHERAPY<br />
Manage pain<br />
Rehab<br />
Injury diagnosis<br />
Posture assessment<br />
Julie Rose Stadium, Ashford, TN24 9QX CALL 01233 660851 31 High Street, Cranbrook, TN17 3EE CALL 01580 715904
Dungeys<br />
1<br />
1<br />
2<br />
2<br />
Oliver's<br />
Cottages<br />
v<br />
v<br />
v<br />
3 3 4 4<br />
v<br />
9<br />
5<br />
4<br />
5<br />
10<br />
6<br />
7<br />
5<br />
11<br />
8<br />
1<br />
1<br />
10<br />
10<br />
9<br />
9<br />
Thorntons<br />
12<br />
6<br />
6<br />
7<br />
7<br />
8<br />
8<br />
13<br />
13<br />
12<br />
12<br />
13<br />
19<br />
18<br />
Co tage<br />
19<br />
18<br />
17<br />
Alpine<br />
19<br />
17<br />
16<br />
18<br />
15<br />
14<br />
16<br />
17<br />
15<br />
14<br />
15<br />
14<br />
<strong>The</strong> Ga lery<br />
Galleons<br />
Lap<br />
Stapley<br />
House<br />
NOTES:<br />
Report all discrepancies, errors and omissions.<br />
Verify all dimensions on site before commencing any work on site or<br />
preparing shop drawings.<br />
All materials, components and workmanship are to comply with the<br />
relevant British Standards, Codes of Practice, and appropriate<br />
manufacturers recommendations that from time to time shall apply.<br />
For all specialist work, see relevant drawings.<br />
This drawing and design are copyright of Clague LLP<br />
Registration number OC335948.<br />
Rev<br />
Project Title<br />
Drawing Description<br />
Scale<br />
Date<br />
Date<br />
62 Burgate, Canterbury<br />
Drawing Number<br />
Description<br />
2 Kinsbourne Court, Luton Road,<br />
Harpenden, Hertfordshire Al5 3BL<br />
8, Disney Street<br />
Drawn by<br />
Checked by<br />
01582 765102<br />
Revision<br />
DEVELOPMENT<br />
Community and<br />
Medical Centre Latest<br />
I updated you last year on progress with our Community and Medical<br />
Centre and I’m pleased to report the latest.<br />
Just to recap, the project at the<br />
moment will contain the new<br />
library, multi-use rooms, seating,<br />
a large teaching kitchen, WCs,<br />
some quiet office spaces, storage,<br />
a plant room and bin space. Also,<br />
the site is situated on a sloping piece<br />
of land, so the design will use the<br />
topography to utilise this to the best<br />
advantage.<br />
We are still open for ideas on usage<br />
and would welcome suggestions from<br />
you all so that we can give as full<br />
a brief to the professional team as<br />
possible.<br />
As you are aware there has been<br />
a delay to the project due to Covid<br />
distractions and lockdowns.<br />
However, our GPs have been<br />
working on suitable specifications for<br />
the Medical centre. <strong>The</strong>y have been<br />
putting together details like the space<br />
needed and the number of consulting/<br />
treatment rooms. I am pleased to<br />
report that the doctors have now<br />
completed their specifications which is<br />
great news. At the time of writing this,<br />
the document was going through its<br />
final sign off process.<br />
On receipt of this document our<br />
project manager will re-run the<br />
numbers in the Business Case and was<br />
endeavouring to complete this by the<br />
end of February. He can begin to put<br />
together the brief for the designer/<br />
architect/constructor.<br />
At last, we have the chance to push<br />
on with your project and we are very<br />
much looking forward to seeing it take<br />
shape.<br />
So, just a reminder, there is still<br />
time for more ideas and suggestions<br />
from you, as to what you would like to<br />
see in your community centre. Please<br />
let us know.<br />
Cllr. Colin Gilbert<br />
Fernham Homes<br />
Recreation Ground<br />
Play Area<br />
2 1<br />
Tennis<br />
Courts<br />
<strong>The</strong> Street<br />
Proposed Mixed Use Development, <strong>The</strong> Street, Sissinghurst<br />
Houses “too crammed”<br />
say critics of village<br />
development<br />
Farnol Co t<br />
3 16<br />
Although Sissinghurst would benefit from a<br />
brand new village hall if Fernham Homes was<br />
allowed to build houses in the village, the<br />
parish council has voted against the plan.<br />
Fernham included the attractive hall as part<br />
of its plan for two four-bed, 15 three-bed and<br />
two two-bed homes on the Bringloe land in<br />
<strong>The</strong> Street.<br />
However, the council’s planning committee<br />
members agreed that 19 homes on the land<br />
looked “crammed”. <strong>The</strong>re was also concern<br />
that the hall car park could be used by people<br />
visiting the new homes. Parking is already a<br />
big problem in the village as there is very little<br />
off-street parking.<br />
<strong>The</strong> proposed site is currently home to the<br />
old village hall which many people believe<br />
is a landmark and should be taken down and<br />
put up elsewhere in the village. One objector<br />
Old Star Co t<br />
Co tage<br />
Phoenix<br />
Robin Co tage<br />
Cats Co tage<br />
Wyndhurst<br />
Scale 1:500<br />
N<br />
0 5 10 15 20 25 50m<br />
Proposed Mixed Use Development<br />
<strong>The</strong> Street<br />
Sissinghurst<br />
Proposed Site Layout Plan<br />
1:500@A2<br />
July 2021<br />
Kent CT1 2BH 01227 762060<br />
London SE1 1JF 0203 597 6112<br />
CANTERBURY<br />
30153A / 10<br />
EE<br />
TWM<br />
LONDON<br />
HARPENDEN<br />
described the tin building, built more than a<br />
century ago, as a “treasure” which should be<br />
saved.<br />
<strong>The</strong> site backs onto a row of listed<br />
properties, none of which has its own parking,<br />
and committee members would like to see<br />
Fernham providing areas for the residents as<br />
part of the development, as was shown on a<br />
previous plan.<br />
<strong>The</strong> independent watchdog, Cranbrook<br />
Conservation Area Advisory Committee, has<br />
also spoken out against the plan as being<br />
“too dense” and a terraced block of three<br />
dwellings “particularly unattractive”. Parking<br />
arrangements are not ideal and show the<br />
buildings, access and parking “so tight” there<br />
is little room for additional landscaping<br />
anywhere, particularly the boundaries. All<br />
these concerns would have an adverse effect<br />
on the High Weald Area of Outstanding<br />
Natural Beauty as well as the adjacent<br />
Sissinghurst conservation area.<br />
<strong>The</strong> final decision rests with Tunbridge<br />
Wells Borough Council. TF<br />
TWBC PLANNING PORTAL / FERNHAM HOMES<br />
10 <strong>The</strong> <strong>Cake</strong> • <strong>Spring</strong> <strong>2022</strong>
A Challenge to the<br />
Department of Education<br />
Your children will all sit on a bus for up to two hours a day to go to school unless we<br />
get High Weald reopened. Is this what you want?<br />
EDUCATION<br />
Since the announced<br />
closure, 514 people<br />
from the 300 square<br />
mile catchment<br />
area have created a<br />
Facebook page sharing their pain<br />
and anger over the closure: see<br />
‘Save High Weald Academy’ on<br />
Facebook.<br />
It appears that the school will<br />
close, so a fresh start will be<br />
required. Any new school needs<br />
150 new students every year to<br />
make it viable and preferably<br />
have it run by an Academy<br />
Trust so the administration costs<br />
are minimised.<br />
Our vision is: A reopened<br />
free school, with a new ethos<br />
and a new start, with the<br />
support of Cranbrook School, to<br />
educate both the academic and<br />
the vocational, with relevant<br />
certificates to give students a<br />
strong start in life, either to<br />
work locally or go on to higher<br />
education.<br />
Co-ordinated community<br />
action across the region, in each<br />
primary and pre-primary school<br />
and parish council, is needed to<br />
create a compulsive argument<br />
to put to the Department of<br />
Education based on:<br />
• High Weald was a poor<br />
performing school that was<br />
not tackled by the Department<br />
of Education until it was<br />
summarily closed<br />
• <strong>The</strong> slow decline of standards<br />
of education and behaviour<br />
that caused people to choose<br />
other schools<br />
• <strong>The</strong> lack of a forum for parents<br />
and the wider community to<br />
be involved in the direction of<br />
the school<br />
• <strong>The</strong> future lack of community<br />
cohesion caused by generations<br />
of children attending schools<br />
out of their neighbourhood<br />
• <strong>The</strong> economic and<br />
environmental cost of bussing<br />
700 children out, every day for<br />
the next few generations<br />
• <strong>The</strong> under-utilisation of the<br />
new school buildings, built for<br />
1,050 pupils, now planned for<br />
about 100 pupils.<br />
COULD YOU BE A LOCAL SPOKESPERSON?<br />
Can you be the local catalyst who can pull together the<br />
information and, if necessary, be the local spokesperson? Would<br />
you support a local co-ordinator?<br />
Please email reopenwealdenschool@gmail.com with your<br />
offer and discuss with your friends, other parents, grandparents<br />
and organisations as this will need people power and strong<br />
arguments to change the Department of Education’s mind. We<br />
will then co-ordinate local groups to gather the information we<br />
need.<br />
Cllr Kim Fletcher, Chairman, Cranbrook and Sissinghurst<br />
Parish Council<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Cake</strong> • <strong>Spring</strong> <strong>2022</strong> 11
NEWS<br />
News<br />
Goodbye and thank you Mr Smith<br />
After devoting more than 20<br />
years to local government<br />
– much of it representing<br />
Sissinghurst – John Smith has<br />
chaired his last parish council<br />
committee meeting.<br />
Mr Smith, 57, who was<br />
elected for a second time to<br />
Cranbrook and Sissinghurst<br />
Parish Council in 2015,<br />
had to vacate his seat in<br />
February after moving from<br />
the village where he was well<br />
known for supporting many<br />
organisations.<br />
He told <strong>The</strong> <strong>Cake</strong> it had<br />
been his home for 28 years<br />
and he really enjoyed his time<br />
representing parishioners<br />
at both levels. He cited his<br />
year as mayor in 2012 as the<br />
highlight of his time in local<br />
government, particularly<br />
entertaining Prince Edward<br />
and his wife to lunch at the<br />
Brew House in Tunbridge<br />
Wells to celebrate the Queen’s<br />
diamond jubilee.<br />
Mr Smith, the managing<br />
director of Weald Granary,<br />
the largest arable co-op in<br />
the south east, paid tribute to<br />
his wife Rebecca, adding: “I<br />
couldn’t have done what I did<br />
without her support.”<br />
<strong>The</strong> couple, who had<br />
lived in the village for 28<br />
years, are well known for<br />
supporting numerous local<br />
events including the village<br />
fete and his setting up of the<br />
Sissinghurst boys’ football<br />
club in 2000. Rebecca is<br />
renowned for her charity “K9<br />
Angels”, which finds homes<br />
for unwanted dogs from<br />
Romania, and also for judging<br />
John Smith, cookery teacher Rosemary<br />
Shrager and wife Rebecca<br />
the dog shows at the fete and<br />
the Cranbrook on the Green<br />
event.<br />
Mr Smith, who was born<br />
in Cardiff, the son of a coal<br />
miner, described himself as a<br />
“boots on the ground man”,<br />
preferring to “get my hands<br />
dirty helping the village litter<br />
pick or organising a fete”.<br />
Although having moved<br />
from Sissinghurst, Mr<br />
Smith will continue to head<br />
the committee which is<br />
supporting plans for a new<br />
village hall. TF<br />
Could you<br />
be a Parish<br />
Councillor?<br />
With the resignation of two councillors,<br />
two seats have become available. If an<br />
election has not been requested, vacancies<br />
can be filled by co-opting new people.<br />
Any person is legally qualified to hold<br />
such office and who is willing to serve<br />
provided they are a British citizen, or<br />
a citizen of the Commonwealth or the<br />
European Union, and are neither the<br />
subject of a bankruptcy restriction order<br />
or interim order or have, within five years<br />
before the day of the co-option, been<br />
convicted in the UK of any offence and<br />
have had a prison sentence (whether<br />
suspended or not) for a period of over<br />
three months without the option of a fine.<br />
Provided the person also satisfies at least<br />
one of the following:<br />
• Registered as a local government elector<br />
for the parish<br />
• During the whole of the preceding 12<br />
months occupied as owner or tenant,<br />
any land or premises in the parish<br />
• Principal or only place of work during<br />
the preceding 12 months has been in the<br />
parish<br />
• Have during the whole of the preceding<br />
12 months resided in the parish or<br />
within 4.8km of it<br />
• Must also be 18 years or older on the day<br />
they take office.<br />
Please contact the parish office by 31<br />
March to register an interest.<br />
Tel: 01580 713112.<br />
Men’s Shed Opens in Cranbrook<br />
An inaugural meeting of the Wealden Men’s Shed has been held at its new home at Cranbrook<br />
School.<br />
Thanks to headteacher Will Chuter, members will be able to meet in a building on the<br />
campus in Waterloo Road. Wellbeing in the Weald administrator Liz McLaren, who initiated<br />
the group, welcomed about 25 potential “shedders” which, at present, are “men only”. <strong>The</strong><br />
organisation was founded in Australia in the 1980s and there are now more than 500 sheds in<br />
the UK.<br />
It was set up to help men’s health and wellbeing and to counteract isolation and loneliness.<br />
Mrs McLaren said she had been amazed at the overwhelming number of men who had shown<br />
interest in joining.<br />
For further information email Liz at hello@wellbgingintheweald.co.uk or call 07921 809161.<br />
12 <strong>The</strong> <strong>Cake</strong> • <strong>Spring</strong> <strong>2022</strong>
Plant a Tree for the Jubilee<br />
– with Cranbrook in Bloom<br />
We want to encourage the planting of trees<br />
in and around Cranbrook to support <strong>The</strong><br />
Queen`s Green Canopy which has been<br />
launched to commemorate her Platinum<br />
Jubilee in <strong>2022</strong>.<br />
A variety of 15 different trees are for<br />
sale from Cranbrook in Bloom, and will be<br />
available at events throughout the year.<br />
<strong>The</strong>y are potted up and can be planted out<br />
later in the year.<br />
<strong>The</strong> trees you plant can be recorded<br />
online at www.queensgreencanopy.org<br />
and will provide a legacy in honour of the<br />
Queen, appreciated by future generations<br />
for years to come.<br />
If you do not have room in your garden,<br />
please contact Cranbrook in Bloom who<br />
will help you source a place in or near the<br />
town. cranbrookinbloom@outlook.com<br />
Pictured Right from L<br />
to R: Susan Hooper, Viv<br />
Lowe and Jill Hooper.<br />
How about a nice cup<br />
of tea? <strong>The</strong> Saturday<br />
morning drop in café<br />
at St Dunstan's Church<br />
has re-opened. Do<br />
drop in!<br />
From L to R: Cllr Colin Gilbert, hon. mayor<br />
Linda Page and parish council chairman Cllr<br />
Kim Fletcher.<br />
“Iron Horse” blessed<br />
in St Dunstan’s<br />
“We plough the fields and scatter….” was the hymn<br />
aptly sung in St Dunstan’s Church when a 74-year old<br />
piece of farm machinery was blessed in January.<br />
A few years ago, the vicar the Rev Ann Pollington,<br />
revived the age-old tradition of celebrating Plough<br />
Sunday by ensuring a plough was centre stage for<br />
the blessing which dates back centuries. Worshippers<br />
were invited to bring tools such as garden forks and<br />
secateurs to be blessed by her to ensure a good harvest.<br />
Roger Fermor, whose family farms near Maidstone,<br />
had previously managed to get larger ploughs into the<br />
Cathedral of the Weald. However, this year life was a<br />
little easier when he brought along the British Anzani<br />
Iron Horse which caused a lot of interest at the service<br />
the following day. TF<br />
CUP CAKES<br />
NEWS<br />
• CHAPEL FOR SALE<br />
<strong>The</strong> joint owner of the Providence Chapel, in<br />
Cranbrook, parish councillor Matt Hartley,<br />
has told fellow members he is putting the<br />
dilapidated building up for sale.<br />
<strong>The</strong> idea is a test to see if a potential buyer is<br />
willing to take on the listed building without<br />
alterations compromising its heritage. In the<br />
past, there were several stumbling blocks to<br />
changes, including the removal of the pews.<br />
• NO TO GOLF COURSE DEVELOPMENT<br />
Controversial plans by Cedardrive Ltd to<br />
develop Hawkhurst Golf Club, including<br />
demolishing the clubhouse and squash<br />
courts to build houses, a care home, a<br />
possible community hall/doctors’ surgery<br />
and a new relief road, have been quashed<br />
following a Department of the Environment<br />
hearing.<br />
• DEVELOPMENT DECISION SOON<br />
A Department of the Environment inspector<br />
has overseen an appeal by developers<br />
Dandara Homes which was refused<br />
permission to build 42 homes on land off<br />
Mill Lane, Sissinghurst. Among the strong<br />
objections was Kent Highways’ concern at<br />
the narrowness of the road. <strong>The</strong> hearing<br />
started on 1 February and a decision is<br />
expected shortly.<br />
• NEW SISSINGHURST FLOWER SHOW<br />
TROPHIES<br />
To mark the death of well-respected<br />
Sissinghurst villager and former parish<br />
councillor, Denis Hemsted, his family have<br />
presented three new youth trophies – one<br />
for each of the three annual shows – to those<br />
who enter the new under 16s photography<br />
class. <strong>The</strong> shows are on 26 March, 18 June,<br />
and 10 September.<br />
• THANK YOU RONI<br />
<strong>The</strong> Cranbrook and Sissinghurst Age Concern<br />
coffee mornings will begin again on Tuesday<br />
8 March from 10.15-11.45am at the Vestry<br />
Hall, Cranbrook. Everyone is welcome. A<br />
Big Thank You to Roni Summers for her<br />
many years of support for the charity will be<br />
held at the hall on Tuesday 29 March from<br />
10.15-11.45am. Organisers are urging people<br />
to attend to show their appreciation for her<br />
many years of hard work.<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Cake</strong> • <strong>Spring</strong> <strong>2022</strong> 13
CLUB NEWS<br />
Great Goals<br />
for Young Club<br />
Footie-mad youngsters<br />
in Cranbrook are going<br />
from strength to strength,<br />
thanks to support<br />
from a large number of<br />
organisations.<br />
Girls and boys from the Cranbrook<br />
Junior FC have been told their club<br />
has achieved England Football<br />
Accredited status, which co-founder<br />
Ant Tomlinson described as “quite<br />
special”.<br />
<strong>The</strong> club has also received<br />
approval as a Weetabix Wildcat<br />
Centre and will be starting girlsonly,<br />
five to 11 year olds, football<br />
next month. Sponsorship has also<br />
been secured for Little Trackers<br />
which has allowed the club to move<br />
indoors at the Weald Sports Centre.<br />
<strong>The</strong> club also trialled its first football<br />
camp during half term in February<br />
with plans to offer more during all<br />
school holidays. TF<br />
Weald<br />
District<br />
Scouts<br />
Young people are the future.<br />
<strong>The</strong>y’re the doers, the dreamers<br />
and give-it-a-goers.<br />
Everything we do in Scouting<br />
is shaped by our young people,<br />
working in partnership with the<br />
adult volunteers. <strong>The</strong>y learn<br />
valuable life skills by taking part<br />
in games and activities, exploring<br />
the outdoors and helping to plan<br />
the programme.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Weald District is currently<br />
comprised of eight Scout Groups<br />
in the area: Brenchley and<br />
Matfield, Cranbrook, Goudhurst,<br />
Hawkhurst, Headcorn,<br />
Sissinghurst, Staplehurst and<br />
Tenterden, with an approximate<br />
membership of 400 young people<br />
aged between four and 25.<br />
Sissinghurst recently opened a<br />
new Squirrels section, the first in<br />
our district, which is for earlyyears<br />
children aged four and<br />
five. Our other groups all have<br />
Beavers (six to eight years), Cubs<br />
(eight to 10½ years) and Scouts<br />
(10½-14 years), with Explorers<br />
(14-18 years) at Goudhurst<br />
and Tenterden, and Network<br />
members (18-25 years) spread<br />
throughout.<br />
<strong>The</strong> district also owns its own<br />
campsite in Horsmonden which<br />
each group can access whenever<br />
they choose, for outdoor<br />
activities or camping.<br />
However, we do need<br />
more volunteers at all of our<br />
groups, both in leadership<br />
roles and behind the scenes<br />
as administrators, trustees<br />
and supporters. In particular,<br />
we would love to reopen our<br />
Benenden group if we can form a<br />
committee to run it.<br />
We also really need some<br />
leaders for our Explorer Scout<br />
units at Goudhurst and Headcorn.<br />
<strong>The</strong> young people in this age<br />
group are a real pleasure to work<br />
with as they are very independent<br />
and proactive.<br />
As a volunteer, you’ll learn<br />
career-friendly skills, boost your<br />
<strong>The</strong> Big Night Out,<br />
Weald District Scouts<br />
wellbeing, and make new friends.<br />
Because volunteering at Scouts<br />
is a two-way street – good for<br />
young people, and good for you<br />
too.<br />
Tell us what you’re interested<br />
in, and we’ll help you find<br />
something that matches your<br />
skills (and the time you have<br />
available).<br />
Contact us today. We’d love to<br />
chat about what’s good for you!<br />
dc@wealdscoutdistrict.org.uk,<br />
www.wealdscoutdistrict.org.uk<br />
14 <strong>The</strong> <strong>Cake</strong> • <strong>Spring</strong> <strong>2022</strong>
EVENTS<br />
Cranbrook in Bloom Events<br />
We look<br />
forward<br />
to hearing<br />
from all<br />
you keen<br />
volunteers and gardeners<br />
wanting to showcase our<br />
amazing town in <strong>2022</strong> and<br />
beyond.<br />
GARDEN SAFARI ENTRIES<br />
Would you like to include<br />
your garden in the<br />
Cranbrook in Bloom annual<br />
garden safari on 19 June?<br />
We are seeking new<br />
gardens for people to<br />
visit and enjoy during our<br />
annual safari. Small or large,<br />
traditional or quirky. We all<br />
know, that come June, our<br />
current, rather bare looking<br />
gardens, will be full of colour<br />
and bursting with blooms.<br />
Why not share it? Contact<br />
Marian on 07780 526766.<br />
SHOW OFF OUR TOWN!<br />
Cranbrook in Bloom will<br />
be entering the South<br />
and South East in Bloom<br />
competition again this year.<br />
This involves the whole<br />
town, nooks, crannies and<br />
all!<br />
Whilst we do our best to<br />
keep Cranbrook looking full<br />
of colour, help from you<br />
will make the streets clean<br />
and colourful as well. Front<br />
gardens, communal areas<br />
and public spaces are all<br />
considered and judged on<br />
the day in mid-June. Please<br />
help us aim for and achieve<br />
another GOLD award again.<br />
SHOW OFF YOUR<br />
COMMUNITY/<br />
NEIGHBOURHOOD SPACE!<br />
If there is an area in or<br />
around the town that has<br />
been tidied, tended or<br />
planted up by locals please<br />
let us know. <strong>The</strong>re is a SSEIB<br />
competition category that<br />
we would encourage/help<br />
you to enter.<br />
SHOW OFF YOUR FRONT<br />
GARDEN<br />
Cranbrook in Bloom’s front<br />
garden competition will be<br />
judged week commencing 20<br />
June. Please enter. We have<br />
five different categories,<br />
including planters and<br />
wildlife.<br />
Entry forms available from<br />
Pages Newsagents or www.<br />
cranbrookinbloom.co.uk from<br />
30 May or contact Marian on<br />
07780 526766.<br />
FEAST OF FUN<br />
FOR QUEEN’S<br />
JUBILEE DAY<br />
As I write about plans for Cranbrook to<br />
host a street party to celebrate the Queen’s<br />
platinum jubilee, it is Monday February 7,<br />
exactly 70 years ago that she succeeded to<br />
the throne.<br />
It is no surprise to hear that sisters,<br />
Wendy Waters and Julie Sales, are drawing<br />
up a list of events for a fun-packed day of<br />
celebrations to be held in Cranbrook on<br />
Sunday June 5.<br />
Running from 11am to about 5pm, people<br />
can bring their own picnic or buy from the<br />
street food outlets. It is hoped a children’s<br />
entertainer will be keeping everyone in<br />
the party mood and there will be face<br />
painting and hook the duck, as well as other<br />
attractions.<br />
<strong>The</strong>re will be an ice cream seller with<br />
a 1960 traditional work trike. <strong>The</strong> Box of<br />
Frogs will be playing at the White Horse,<br />
the first at 2pm and then later in the day.<br />
<strong>The</strong>re will also be plenty of popcorn and<br />
candyfloss as well as a big selection of food<br />
and drinks stalls. TF<br />
Cranbrook<br />
Goes Nuts!<br />
Nuts in May is back in<br />
Cranbrook High<br />
Street on Sunday<br />
29 May after a<br />
two- year Covid<br />
absence.<br />
<strong>The</strong> theme will be<br />
trees and recognising the<br />
Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.<br />
Founder Gwenneth Bransby-Zachary<br />
is looking forward to welcoming<br />
exhibitors who reflect the permanent<br />
theme of celebrating “anything that<br />
grows and what you can do with it”.<br />
<strong>The</strong>re will also be a food court and<br />
music, including the ever-popular<br />
cover band Marvellous Mo and the<br />
Backline Ferrets. People who would<br />
like to help on the day are asked to call<br />
Gwenneth on 07721 672348. TF<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Cake</strong> • <strong>Spring</strong> <strong>2022</strong> 15
SUPPORT LOCAL<br />
SPOTLIGHT<br />
Food & Drink<br />
QUALITY COOKING FOR KIDS<br />
Gulliver’s Play Café<br />
23 Stone Street, Cranbrook<br />
01233 510315<br />
www.gulliversplaycafe.com<br />
Our friendly chefs love cooking from scratch<br />
with fresh ingredients, and definitely don’t<br />
do ‘pop and ping’ frozen microwave meals.<br />
Where possible, we buy our ingredients from<br />
local farmers and suppliers because freshness<br />
makes a difference and we love to support local<br />
businesses. When you support your friends, they<br />
look after you too – that’s our principle. We’re<br />
lucky to get all our meat from our neighbours on<br />
Stone Street, EC Wilkes and Sons, and our coffee<br />
comes from local supplier Bean Smitten.<br />
Keeping kids safe around food is also one of<br />
our main priorities. We have a detailed allergen<br />
and food safety policy, meaning grown-ups can<br />
relax during their stay. If you or your little one has<br />
a particular dietary requirement, don’t be afraid<br />
to ask. We’re also proud to have been recently<br />
nominated for Best Café in the Taste of Kent<br />
awards!<br />
SANDWICHES MADE WITH LOVE<br />
Aldo’s Sandwiches<br />
7 Stone Street, Cranbrook<br />
07812 787307<br />
www.aldossandwiches.com<br />
Sandwiches made with love right in the heart<br />
of Cranbrook. Freshly made, just for you, visit us<br />
and create your own personal sandwich. Choose<br />
from a variety of breads, pick your fillings, salads,<br />
sauces and chutneys or choose from our specials<br />
board. We also offer soup, toasties and paninis<br />
if you fancy a warm option. Gluten-free bread is<br />
available too.<br />
People are also raving about our coffee. We<br />
use award-winning coffee beans from local<br />
coffee roasters, Bean Smitten. Coupled with our<br />
Italian made Sanremo coffee machine, you’re<br />
guaranteed the perfect cup.<br />
If hot chocolate is more your thing then you’ll<br />
love ours with cream, marshmallows, chocolate/<br />
caramel sauce and more chocolate!<br />
Born and raised in North London and now settled<br />
in the beautiful Kent countryside, Aldo is a<br />
husband and dad to three daughters. He trained<br />
at the prestigious Leith’s School of Food & Wine<br />
and is looking forward to welcoming you to his<br />
shop on Stone Street.<br />
SUSTAINABLE AND ETHICAL MEAT<br />
Paley Farm<br />
Paley Lane, Cranbrook TN17 2LX<br />
01580 891046<br />
info@paleyfarm.co.uk<br />
www.paleyfarm.co.uk<br />
Paley Farm is home to an 800-acre mixed<br />
livestock farming business providing sustainable,<br />
ethical and grass fed meat. Located just north of<br />
Cranbrook, we work with sustainable mentality<br />
and regenerative practices.<br />
From our pasture to your plate, a delicious range<br />
of meat all bred and reared at our farm to the<br />
highest welfare and nutritional standards. Our<br />
methods ensure you will experience some of the<br />
best tasting meat you will ever buy.<br />
Our meat is expertly prepared by Peter onsite<br />
at the farm, so not only do you get to see where<br />
your meat comes from, your food also has the<br />
lowest possible food miles. As part of our team<br />
at the farm, Peter is one of very few butchers that<br />
is aware of the careful planning that goes into<br />
rearing and managing livestock to ensure that<br />
their diet is transformed into the very best meat.<br />
We offer free local delivery and national courier<br />
service, just order online. Better still come along<br />
to our farm and recently expanded butchery to<br />
say hello and see what’s on offer!<br />
16 <strong>The</strong> <strong>Cake</strong> • <strong>Spring</strong> <strong>2022</strong>
SUPPORT LOCAL<br />
ADVICE<br />
Health & Wellbeing<br />
Correct Posture<br />
Through Pilates<br />
Mary-<strong>The</strong>rese O'Connell<br />
Achieve Health<br />
07447 426243<br />
hello@achieve-health.co.uk<br />
www.achieve-health.co.uk<br />
West Road, Goudhurst, TN17 1AA<br />
Pilates is for everyone. It’s not<br />
about pulling out a mat and<br />
doing an hour everyday – mind<br />
you that would be great, but<br />
rather making small changes<br />
throughout your day. This helps<br />
improve your posture and bring<br />
awareness to how you move and<br />
hold yourself.<br />
<strong>The</strong> most important<br />
thing in pilates is to<br />
improve your core.<br />
To do this, you<br />
must pull in your<br />
abdominal muscles<br />
(your tummy). Imagine<br />
a string pulling you<br />
from the crown of your head<br />
and lengthening through your<br />
spine. As you walk articulate<br />
through your foot and swing<br />
your arms.<br />
Pilates is about gently reeducating<br />
your body to the<br />
correct posture for you. We<br />
all have different body types<br />
and our bodies are amazing<br />
at adapting when we injure<br />
ourselves or if a woman has a<br />
baby. It’s extraordinary what<br />
we demand and expect of our<br />
bodies and then we are shocked<br />
when they let us down. But with<br />
a little TLC we can get them<br />
back functioning properly once<br />
we get the right muscles firing<br />
correctly, in the right order and<br />
getting the body to realign itself<br />
again.<br />
To find out more contact Mary-<br />
<strong>The</strong>rese ex-nurse, radiographer<br />
and Stott pilates instructor using<br />
the details above.<br />
Setting Goals for<br />
Self-Improvement<br />
Issy Szumniak<br />
Issy Szumniak PMU & Aesthetics<br />
07990 015103<br />
Isabelleszumniak@hotmail.co.uk<br />
www.issyszumniak.co.uk<br />
Carriers Road, Cranbrook, TN17 3JX<br />
Self-improvement is an<br />
empowering thing. It’s limitless,<br />
as are we. When we set ourselves<br />
goals and begin achieving them<br />
we soon realise our endless<br />
potential.<br />
Setting goals for me is one<br />
of the most effective tools for<br />
self-improvement. Whether<br />
it be small changes or big<br />
achievements.<br />
We are so lucky to have<br />
amazing resources at our<br />
fingertips, from books and the<br />
internet to empowering podcasts,<br />
and if you’re lucky enough,<br />
encouraging and positive people<br />
around you.<br />
Not sure where to start? Begin<br />
by identifying your goals, be<br />
personal, business, health or<br />
relationships, and ask yourself<br />
where do you see yourself in six<br />
months, one year or five years?<br />
Once you have a clear idea you<br />
can begin thinking about how<br />
this can be achieved by setting<br />
out a plan. This to me really<br />
is putting pen to paper. Set<br />
yourself realistic and achievable<br />
timeframes and begin actioning.<br />
Lastly and importantly is<br />
gratitude. So often we forget<br />
to celebrate the wins or really<br />
take the time to be proud of our<br />
achievements however big or<br />
small. We so often quickly move<br />
onto the next or want more<br />
forgetting how far we’ve come or<br />
how much we’ve achieved.<br />
For help and advice on how to<br />
look and feel great, contact Issy,<br />
permanent makeup artist and<br />
aesthetician, using the details<br />
above.<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Cake</strong> • <strong>Spring</strong> <strong>2022</strong> 17
MP’S COMMENT<br />
Setting a National<br />
Standard in Cancer Care<br />
Pembury and Maidstone hospitals leading the way<br />
on NHS backlog, says our MP Helen Grant<br />
<strong>The</strong> Prime Minister,<br />
Boris Johnson, and<br />
Chancellor Rishi<br />
Sunak, visited Kent<br />
Oncology Centre at<br />
Maidstone Hospital in February,<br />
marking World Cancer Day.<br />
I was pleased to join the tour<br />
and was delighted to see the<br />
progress that the Maidstone<br />
and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust<br />
(MTW) is making on addressing<br />
the Covid backlog. Lockdowns,<br />
and fear of infection at hospital,<br />
prevented many patients with<br />
non-Covid medical conditions,<br />
from presenting themselves for<br />
diagnosis and treatment. Those<br />
people are now coming forward<br />
and one of the areas hardest-hit<br />
has been in cancer treatment.<br />
I am delighted to report that<br />
MTW is setting the national<br />
standard – with cancer patients<br />
receiving treatment within<br />
62 days of diagnosis – for 29<br />
months in a row. Our trust is<br />
one of the most efficient cancer<br />
units in the UK and the Prime<br />
Minister remarked upon this<br />
achievement saying: “I want<br />
the whole country to be able to<br />
meet these standards”.<br />
<strong>The</strong> trust’s chief executive,<br />
Miles Scott, explained to us<br />
the enormous efforts they are<br />
making in staff, services and<br />
facilities are paying off. MTW<br />
has invested over £10m in<br />
new buildings and provided 12<br />
additional cancer consultants<br />
for specialist care in the past<br />
three years, with consultant<br />
availability now seven days a<br />
week.<br />
“Maidstone Hospital also has one of Kent’s three newly-elevated<br />
46 bed hyper-acute stroke units. That means local stroke<br />
patients are being admitted and treated faster than ever before,<br />
which is so critical for this condition”<br />
During the visit, Miles<br />
and I took an opportunistic<br />
moment to make a pitch to<br />
the Chancellor about money<br />
– £31.3 million pounds to be<br />
exact. It is for a new theatre<br />
block which would significantly<br />
increase the trust’s orthopaedic<br />
surgical capacity with four<br />
state-of-the-art operating<br />
theatres, a 20-bed inpatient<br />
ward and a 16-bed day case<br />
ward. Let’s see.<br />
Maidstone Hospital also has<br />
one of Kent’s three newlyelevated<br />
46 bed hyper-acute<br />
stroke units. That means local<br />
stroke patients are being<br />
admitted and treated faster<br />
than ever before, which is so<br />
critical for this condition.<br />
As we emerge from the<br />
pandemic, the progress being<br />
made across the MTW Trust<br />
for residents in Cranbrook<br />
and Sissinghurst is significant.<br />
I will continue to work with<br />
Miles, and his excellent teams<br />
in Pembury and Maidstone, to<br />
deliver the best health services<br />
possible for the people of<br />
Maidstone and <strong>The</strong> Weald.<br />
18 <strong>The</strong> <strong>Cake</strong> • <strong>Spring</strong> <strong>2022</strong>
LOCAL COMMENT<br />
IVOR'S COLUMN<br />
<strong>The</strong> Rich History<br />
of the Crane Brook<br />
Ivor Hatcher, our long-time parish warden, takes a look at the<br />
meandering path taken by the town’s pretty stream<br />
Often, when I am picking cans,<br />
bottles, bikes, and other rubbish<br />
out of the Crane Brook, I think<br />
of its rich history, powering<br />
industries past.<br />
Who would believe that the stream that<br />
runs through the Crane Valley, from which<br />
the name of Cranbrook derives, used to play<br />
such an important part in the industry of the<br />
town in yesteryear?<br />
<strong>The</strong> stream rises at Hartley, winding its way<br />
through field and woodland to the Tanyard,<br />
where surface water from other areas of the<br />
town flow into it. <strong>The</strong> Crane Brook, which<br />
becomes Hammer Stream at Hammer Mill on<br />
the outskirts of Sissinghurst, is a tributary to<br />
the River Beult winding its way from Ashford<br />
through Headcorn and on to Yalding, where it<br />
joins the River Medway.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Crane once had tributaries that<br />
powered the town’s watermills at the Freight<br />
and Baker’s Cross. <strong>The</strong>se were probably<br />
‘fulling mills’, which formed<br />
part of the woollen industry.<br />
In the Tanyard, John<br />
Tooth, a hat maker, used the<br />
power of the water to power<br />
his hat factory. Hard to<br />
believe that there was enough water to power<br />
a water mill. As it flowed, it once powered<br />
several watermills, including one at Moat<br />
Farm, and the Sissinghurst watermill, which<br />
was on the site of Lake Chad.<br />
It is surprising how much the river does<br />
rise when there is heavy rainfall. <strong>The</strong> grid<br />
in the Tanyard prevents the river blocking<br />
under the car park, as has happened in the<br />
past, flooding the Old Bakery several times. I<br />
once saw a mini car float across the car park<br />
because the water was so high!<br />
Toilets to Re-Open with Children’s Murals!<br />
As you are most likely aware, we have been without public toilets in<br />
Cranbrook for some while. This is not acceptable in such a vibrant<br />
place.<br />
<strong>The</strong> parish council took over responsibility for the toilets from<br />
Tunbridge Wells Borough Council after they had expended almost<br />
all of their funding trying to maintain the building due to repeated<br />
vandalism, leading to their closure.<br />
<strong>The</strong> parish council looked at several sites in the town for suitable<br />
temporary toilet facilities but, due to varying factors, none of these<br />
sites proved viable.<br />
We have decided to take the risk of opening the toilets again by<br />
refurbishing the Ladies, making them Unisex and available 24/7. <strong>The</strong><br />
disabled facilities will also be opening, accessed by key. To keep costs<br />
down, it was agreed to keep the old gents’ space closed.<br />
We had not envisaged spending any money on the externals but<br />
we were contacted by the Belle Vue School, whose headteacher and<br />
pupils had commented on the poor state of toilets.<br />
<strong>The</strong> children came up with the<br />
idea of murals they would paint on<br />
the outside walls and doors. <strong>The</strong>y are<br />
aware of vandalism but are happy to<br />
make good any damage by looking at<br />
the building on a weekly basis.<br />
We are very pleased by their kind<br />
offer and applaud their willingness<br />
to support our community in such<br />
a way.<br />
We have decided to invest some<br />
of your money on doing something different by<br />
providing and having constructed a timber shelter for youngsters to<br />
gather in the Crane Valley. This will, hopefully, distract them from<br />
further damage to the loos. Any other constructive ideas are very<br />
welcome.<br />
Cllr Colin Gilbert, chairman Burial Grounds and Properties<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Cake</strong> • <strong>Spring</strong> <strong>2022</strong> 19
LOCAL COMMENT<br />
Vicar says goodbye to<br />
her beloved chickens!<br />
Farewell with love<br />
from Revd Ann<br />
In the words of Peter Cook<br />
and Dudley Moore:<br />
‘Now is the time to say<br />
goodbye.<br />
(Goodbye)<br />
Now is the time to yield a sigh.<br />
(Yield it, yield it)<br />
Now is the time to wend our<br />
way-eee<br />
Until we meet again<br />
Some sunny day’.<br />
And so, six years and three<br />
months after I became Vicar of<br />
Cranbrook, it’s time for me to say<br />
goodbye to all you lovely people<br />
of this parish. I am retiring on<br />
5 March after nearly 20 years of<br />
ordained ministry.<br />
“I will miss you all, I have really enjoyed<br />
my stay here and loved the house and<br />
garden, but as I was told at theological<br />
college, vicars are in a way ‘resident aliens’<br />
in the parish they serve”<br />
It has been a great privilege to<br />
enter into your lives at sad and<br />
happy times and to enter into<br />
the life of the community and<br />
town of Cranbrook. I will miss<br />
you all, I have really enjoyed my<br />
stay here and loved the house<br />
and garden, but as I was told at<br />
theological college, vicars are in a<br />
way ‘resident aliens’ in the parish<br />
they serve. We come and reside<br />
amongst you, for a few years or<br />
for many, and we go and make<br />
way for someone else to enter<br />
that role.<br />
<strong>The</strong> word Goodbye is, I seem to<br />
remember reading somewhere, a<br />
shortening of the phrase God Be<br />
With You, and this is my prayer<br />
for all of you, whether you have<br />
faith or not. God be with you in<br />
all you do in your community,<br />
school, church and business<br />
here in this wonderful town<br />
of Cranbrook in the Garden of<br />
England, sometimes called Kent!<br />
Over the time I have been here,<br />
I rather hope I have built bridges,<br />
encouraged us ‘churchy folk’ to<br />
get out of the church building<br />
and get on with the community<br />
building, by being a presence<br />
in the High Street and at<br />
community events with our stalls<br />
selling cakes, books and plants,<br />
and by inviting community<br />
20 <strong>The</strong> <strong>Cake</strong> • <strong>Spring</strong> <strong>2022</strong>
LOCAL COMMENT<br />
organisations to come inside<br />
the wonderful building we know<br />
to be St Dunstan’s church for<br />
concerts and Saturday ‘coffee<br />
and cake time’, and much more<br />
besides.<br />
<strong>The</strong>re is much more to be<br />
done, but at nearly 66-years-old I<br />
will retire and pass on the baton<br />
to the next vicar. I hope, like any<br />
good gardener, I have prepared<br />
the soil well and possibly sown<br />
some seeds of faith amongst<br />
you. Sometimes we don’t see<br />
the results of our planting,<br />
but preparing the ground and<br />
sowing the seed is always done<br />
in the hope that, when the right<br />
conditions come along, blossom<br />
and fruit will follow.<br />
To all you lovely parishioners<br />
I look forward to reading about<br />
your blossoming and fruit, and<br />
do take care of your next vicar,<br />
resident alien that he or she may<br />
be.<br />
May God bless you all,<br />
Goodbye and love from Revd Ann<br />
A note from Revd Ann while<br />
Cranbrook is without a vicar<br />
<strong>The</strong> vacancy may be a long one, so in the<br />
meantime there are four names to share with you.<br />
If you need a priest for any reason, then please ring<br />
Revd John Tapper on 01580 713836. If you would<br />
like to receive Communion at home please ring<br />
John Mulrenan, one of St Dunstan’s Readers, on<br />
01580 714756. If you need to ask for a referral to<br />
Nourish, our local foodbank, please contact Wes<br />
Sargent, the minister at Cranbrook Congregational<br />
church, who is taking over this duty. Sad to say<br />
this is still needed as families and individuals<br />
have their finances squeezed even more as the<br />
year progresses. Last but not least, if you need to<br />
book the church for a concert or event, or wish to<br />
enquire about a wedding, baptism or funeral, then<br />
please ring Julie Warman in the church office on<br />
01580 715861.<br />
St Dunstan’s Parochial Church Council (PCC) will<br />
be meeting during the vacancy, putting together<br />
a profile they hope will attract the right person to<br />
feel that God is calling them to serve as the next<br />
vicar of Cranbrook.<br />
I do know that one of the stumbling blocks that<br />
may mean the vacancy is longer than the normal<br />
nine months or so, is whether the PCC can show<br />
that St Dunstan’s is a sustainable church, able to<br />
afford a vicar.<br />
It does cost us all to have a vicar. We vicars<br />
don’t come out of thin air, we have been selected<br />
for training, trained and then housed and paid a<br />
stipend. St Dunstan’s contribution to the Church of<br />
England finances amounts to well over £60,000 per<br />
annum.<br />
Please don’t think vicars get paid that much,<br />
but with employers’ National Insurance, clergy<br />
pensions, housing and training etc. it all mounts up.<br />
JUST 50P A WEEK…<br />
If you think Cranbrook should continue to have<br />
a vicar, and I sincerely hope you do, please think<br />
about making a donation to St Dunstan’s PCC.<br />
Julie in the office (01580 715861) can tell you<br />
the church bank account details. If 3,000 adults<br />
in Cranbrook could commit to giving just £20 a<br />
year (less than 50p per week) then that would<br />
almost cover it, and the PCC could then tell the<br />
Archdeacon that St Dunstan’s is a sustainable<br />
parish.<br />
I do think that vicars are worth more than 50p<br />
a week, I like to think you will do too.<br />
A Veterinary<br />
Practice Like<br />
No Other!<br />
Small, family owned,<br />
independent<br />
21a Stone St, Cranbrook TN17 3HF | 01580 763303<br />
info@herondenvets.co.uk | www.herondenvets.co.uk<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Cake</strong> • <strong>Spring</strong> <strong>2022</strong> 21
HEALTH & WELLBEING<br />
Guy's Column<br />
Welcome to Guy Pullen, head of horticulture at the charity Hands of<br />
Hope in Hawkhurst. He will be writing a regular column on all aspects<br />
of his job from helping people’s well-being to growing everything<br />
from fruit to flowers<br />
When you look beyond life’s<br />
essentials, what sustains<br />
you as a human being?<br />
Friendship and human<br />
contact; good physical<br />
and mental health; a sense of use and<br />
purpose? We often take these for granted,<br />
but whether it’s through bereavement, ill<br />
health, redundancy, family breakdown or just<br />
plain old bad luck, living without them can be<br />
tough.<br />
At Hands of Hope we aim to tackle some of<br />
life’s thorny issues by connecting people with<br />
nature and each other. We offer opportunities<br />
to carry out meaningful work in a beautiful<br />
location and amongst friendly faces and in<br />
doing so, we tackle food poverty, loneliness<br />
and rural isolation as well as improving<br />
physical and mental health.<br />
Set within 23 acres of AONB land in<br />
Hawkhurst, Hope Farm Garden is a no-dig,<br />
organic market garden growing for food<br />
banks, lunch<br />
clubs and<br />
to tackle<br />
holiday<br />
hunger,<br />
“We garden using the<br />
no-dig system which aims<br />
to preserve the incredible<br />
life force that is soil.”<br />
as well as providing produce for our own veg<br />
box scheme. With only two paid gardeners<br />
working the land, we rely on volunteers to<br />
help us take the produce from seed to harvest<br />
and beyond. In return we offer a life affirming<br />
experience that you just can’t get in any other<br />
way.<br />
This winter, we have expanded our<br />
vegetable garden from 64 beds to 180 beds<br />
and this has taken some effort. Luckily our<br />
hardy volunteers have been keen to get stuck<br />
in and with a relatively dry winter, the work<br />
has run smoothly. We garden using the no-dig<br />
system which aims to preserve the incredible<br />
life force that is soil. For too long, it has been<br />
seen as something that can be bagged up and<br />
shunted around. We assume it will always just<br />
be there for us, but as with any living system,<br />
soil must be nurtured and protected.<br />
No-dig gardening does just this whilst<br />
reducing the need for watering and fertilizers.<br />
Digging on our heavy clay is hard work, so it’s<br />
good to demonstrate a better way.<br />
Beyond the vegetable garden, we have an<br />
orchard, beehives, woodland, fields, meadows<br />
and ponds, all of which need our attention.<br />
Every winter we lay some of the hedges in the<br />
traditional way and this has been one of our<br />
most popular events this year. Hedge-laying<br />
is an art, taking many years to perfect, but the<br />
learning has to start somewhere. After only<br />
one day, some of our volunteers felt confident<br />
enough to take on their own wayward hedges.<br />
Over the next issues of <strong>The</strong> <strong>Cake</strong>, I will<br />
focus on some of our core activities – the<br />
joys of volunteering, learning traditional<br />
countryside skills and more.<br />
22 <strong>The</strong> <strong>Cake</strong> • <strong>Spring</strong> <strong>2022</strong>
Getting Active in<br />
Cranbrook and<br />
Sissinghurst<br />
You may be<br />
surprised about<br />
the wide variety<br />
of opportunities<br />
available to you<br />
locally, but as the area’s Everyday<br />
Active Champion, I have had the<br />
pleasure of meeting many of the<br />
people who run these clubs and<br />
classes. <strong>The</strong> enthusiasm of the<br />
instructors and coaches makes<br />
me feel really positive about the<br />
future health and happiness of<br />
our community.<br />
Although most of my focus<br />
remains on finding opportunities<br />
for people who are not currently<br />
as active as they would like to<br />
be – such as Wellbeing Walks<br />
– I have also been chairing a<br />
forum for sports clubs, in order<br />
to ensure we can offer the best<br />
service possible to our residents.<br />
Now that spring is here, it’s a<br />
great time to start thinking about<br />
getting out to try a new activity<br />
or sport, writes Mark Lawrence<br />
Another big part of my role<br />
is promoting the available<br />
activities through the Tunbridge<br />
Wells page of the Everyday<br />
Active website, which also<br />
hosts a wealth of advice for<br />
anyone looking to make a<br />
key lifestyle change: www.<br />
everydayactivekent.org.uk/<br />
communities/tunbridge-wells<br />
However, if you feel you need<br />
more support in setting goals for<br />
a healthier lifestyle, one of my<br />
colleagues in the One You service<br />
will be waiting to take your call.<br />
<strong>The</strong> service offers help on things<br />
such as weight loss, getting more<br />
active, drinking less and stopping<br />
smoking, and we are hoping to<br />
re-open the Cranbrook clinic<br />
soon.<br />
You can call 01892 554411 or email<br />
health@tunbridgewells.gov.uk<br />
SPORTS CLUBS<br />
Cranbrook Bowls Club, Ball Field<br />
TN17 3JN<br />
garry.pethurst@gmail.com,<br />
07970 875069<br />
Cranbrook Juniors Football Club,<br />
Rammel Field TN17 3JW<br />
info@cranbrookjuniorsfc.co.uk<br />
Cranbrook Sports Club, Tomlin<br />
Ground, Angley Road TN17 2PN<br />
webmaster@cranbrookrugby.com,<br />
01580 712777<br />
Men’s Hockey (Newenden<br />
Nomads) Cranbrook School,<br />
TN17 3JD<br />
www.newendennomadshc.co.uk<br />
Sissinghurst Tennis Club, Jubilee<br />
Field TN17 2JA<br />
paul_tully@btinternet.com<br />
Weald Tri Club<br />
wealdtriclub.membership@gmail.com<br />
ACTIVITY PROVIDERS<br />
Begginers2Runners, Tenterden –<br />
www.beginners2runners.co.uk/<br />
Cranbrook Joggers –<br />
LOCAL HEALTH<br />
info@cranbrookjoggers.co.uk,<br />
07908 320058<br />
Cranbrook Pickleball<br />
07702 126571<br />
Fitness Boxing, Wellbeing<br />
in the Weald<br />
hello@wellbeingintheweald.co.uk,<br />
07961 669 575<br />
Weald Sports Centre, Angley<br />
Road TN17 2PN<br />
01580 710720<br />
And if you want to be added<br />
to my list of providers, drop<br />
me an email: mark.lawrence@<br />
tunbridgewells.gov.uk<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Cake</strong> • <strong>Spring</strong> <strong>2022</strong> 23
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To Book Text: 07785 11 20 21 or Call: 01580 441 302<br />
Email: book@elbaprivatehire.com<br />
www.elbaprivatehire.com<br />
CLAIR’S<br />
FOOT CARE<br />
GIVE YOURSELF A TREAT<br />
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•Toe Nail Trimming • Diabetic Foot Care<br />
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• Callus Reduction • Verruca Treatment<br />
• Ingrowing Toe Nail • Foot Care Advice<br />
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Appointments on request<br />
Tel: 07443871266<br />
Email: clairsfootcare@gmail.com<br />
Private Parking<br />
28A Quaker Drive, Cranbrook, Kent, TN17 2HL<br />
24 <strong>The</strong> <strong>Cake</strong> • <strong>Spring</strong> <strong>2022</strong>
FEATURE<br />
Can you be a Friend<br />
to St Dunstan’s?<br />
A question posed to us all in Cranbrook by John Williams,<br />
membership secretary of the church’s friends’ group;<br />
“How would you feel if you found St Dunstan’s Church<br />
in the same dilapidated state as the Providence Chapel?”<br />
Why, I wonder,<br />
should the<br />
relatively few<br />
worshippers<br />
who regularly<br />
attend the church bear the brunt<br />
of the considerable expenditure<br />
involved in keeping such a<br />
magnificent building in a good<br />
state of repair?<br />
Indeed, some Christians might<br />
argue that they would be freer<br />
to celebrate their faith without<br />
the encumbrance of having to<br />
maintain any church building.<br />
St Dunstan’s, together with the<br />
windmill, must be of considerable<br />
help in contributing to the<br />
significant level of tourism<br />
within the town. I think that<br />
most of us like to know that the<br />
building is there, even if we do<br />
not go through the doors very<br />
often. Many of us like to look at<br />
the time on the clock, hear the<br />
bells ringing in the tower, attend<br />
the occasional wedding, funeral,<br />
memorial service or baptism, or<br />
the annual Remembrance Day<br />
service. We take it for granted<br />
that the church will always be<br />
there.<br />
I know that our vicar would<br />
like to open up the building even<br />
more, so that it can be a real<br />
focal point for all the Cranbrook<br />
community, as it would have been<br />
centuries ago.<br />
HOW TO HELP<br />
How can we help? We could all<br />
become Friends of St Dunstan’s<br />
(FOSTD)! We are not committing<br />
ourselves to spending hours in<br />
church, but simply wanting to<br />
help keep the building safe, clean,<br />
dry and open, and to be ever more<br />
beautiful for generations to come.<br />
A minimum donation of £12 per<br />
person per year would really<br />
encourage the small committee<br />
of trustees to continue their<br />
work, helping keep the church<br />
building open and available to<br />
the wider community.<br />
In recent years, FOSTD<br />
have, amongst other projects,<br />
contributed money to the<br />
various projects of St Dunstan’s<br />
Parochial Church Council. <strong>The</strong>y<br />
include maintaining the fabric<br />
of the building, helping to aid<br />
the recent restoration of the<br />
tower, and the renewal of the<br />
lighting and rewiring. FOSTD<br />
have also helped with funding<br />
for the restoration of windows<br />
and memorials, repairs to the<br />
roof, stonework and noticeboards.<br />
Funds have helped to pay for<br />
the overhaul of the clock, create<br />
the Millennium Book, maintain<br />
the organ, purchase a grand<br />
piano, install CCTV, repair the<br />
heating, refurbish a chapel and<br />
porch, provide pew cushions,<br />
and published church guides and<br />
histories.<br />
<strong>The</strong> trustees organise concerts<br />
during warmer weather at 1pm on<br />
the first Thursday of each month<br />
from March to October, this year<br />
starting on March 3rd, to which<br />
all are welcome without charge.<br />
<strong>The</strong>re is a retiring collection for<br />
the friends’ work.<br />
If you could help, please chat to<br />
one of the trustees (on the Friends’<br />
website) or contact; FOSTD<br />
Membership Secretary, Church<br />
House, Stone Street, Cranbrook,<br />
TN17 3HA. John Williams<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Cake</strong> • <strong>Spring</strong> <strong>2022</strong> 25
PERMANENT CLEANING<br />
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Calibre Cleaning are looking for flexible and reliable<br />
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No experience necessary as training will be given, but you<br />
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Visitor Centre TN17 2SJ<br />
01233 840972 | info@calibrecleaning.co.uk<br />
www.calibrecleaning.co.uk<br />
Helen Grant<br />
MP for Maidstone<br />
and the Weald<br />
I am here to help you in<br />
any way that I can. If there<br />
is an issue of concern to<br />
you, where you believe<br />
I can assist, or if you<br />
would like to arrange a<br />
meeting with me, please<br />
email me at helen.grant.<br />
mp@parliament.uk or<br />
telephone 020 7219 7107.<br />
helengrant.org<br />
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26 <strong>The</strong> <strong>Cake</strong> • <strong>Spring</strong> <strong>2022</strong>
FEATURE<br />
A Call To Stand<br />
Up For Nature<br />
“A strimmer is to a butterfly what a chain<br />
saw is to an orangutan” – says wildlife<br />
saviour Nigel Witham<br />
<strong>The</strong> 59-year-old<br />
Battersea-born<br />
animal crusader<br />
has turned his<br />
Weald garden into<br />
a sanctuary for wildlife and<br />
happily shares his delightful<br />
videos and stills with a<br />
multitude of followers on the<br />
Nextdoor site.<br />
His garden has become home<br />
to a vast number of animals,<br />
from foxes to rare butterflies<br />
and owls to sparrowhawks, and<br />
he despairs at the way wildlife<br />
globally is being obliterated by<br />
“social inertia”.<br />
He does not believe the<br />
problem is just down to<br />
governments and added: “We all<br />
need to respect all life.”<br />
A keen prize-winning angler,<br />
Nigel has contributed to many<br />
fishing books and had his first<br />
article in Angling Times when<br />
he was just 18. He was even<br />
featured on ITN news after<br />
saving the life of a canoeist<br />
who had capsized in the River<br />
Medway.<br />
His love of wildlife was<br />
kindled in his childhood when<br />
the family moved to the country<br />
where he soon became intrigued<br />
by the vast array of wildlife. He<br />
recalled: “When I was about<br />
seven or eight I went with a<br />
friend to some grass land and<br />
it was just full of butterflies,<br />
there were so many of them.” It<br />
“When I was about<br />
seven or eight I went<br />
with a friend to some<br />
grass land and it was<br />
just full of butterflies,<br />
there were so many<br />
of them.”<br />
was not until this year that he<br />
recorded seeing his first-ever<br />
Purple Emperor butterfly.<br />
A commercial interior<br />
designer, Nigel would love to<br />
devote his entire time to saving<br />
wildlife but also getting the<br />
message across to everyone<br />
that they too can help to<br />
understand the importance of<br />
wildlife and saving habitats,<br />
whether gardens, fields, verges<br />
or churchyards.<br />
He despairs that his<br />
efforts to re-wild Goudhurst<br />
churchyard have failed. He also<br />
battles against the concerts,<br />
Christmas lights, and other<br />
commercialisation at nearby<br />
Bedgebury Pinetum, believing<br />
they seriously damage wildlife<br />
in an area which was originally<br />
devoted to special trees from<br />
around the planet, grassland and<br />
ponds.<br />
He said: “It would be easy to<br />
think my message is like pushing<br />
water uphill but I take succour<br />
from people supporting me.”<br />
TF<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Cake</strong> • <strong>Spring</strong> <strong>2022</strong> 27
SPONJEM UK Limited<br />
Capital Allowances Consultants<br />
Helping people in the area save money upon<br />
their commercial buildings such as offices,<br />
shops, restaurants, hotels and holiday let cottages<br />
For Information contact Paul Jempson on<br />
Tel: 0800 954 5081 Mob: 07957 822110<br />
Email: mail@sponjem.co.uk<br />
MR NOAH’S<br />
NURSERY SCHOOL CIC<br />
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Call Karen Irving at our Tenterden office to<br />
arrange a no obligation visit.<br />
01580 762202<br />
www.carecompany.care<br />
Your Country Lifestyle<br />
Department Store!<br />
Our departments are:<br />
Equine • Small Holder • Pets & Wild Birds<br />
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Clothing including:<br />
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Thought, Jack Murphy, Hunter Outdoor and more...<br />
We have plenty of free parking, and we offer a free local<br />
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Formerly known as Hartley Dyke Farm Shop<br />
Open 8.30-5.30 weekdays, 9-5 Satudays and 10-4 Sundays<br />
Swattenden Lane Cranbrook, TN17 3PS<br />
01580 713189 | info@charityfarmcountrystore.co.uk<br />
www.charityfarmcountrystore.co.uk<br />
Fresh Fruit & Vegetables • Flowers • Plants<br />
•Shrubs • Hot & Cold Foods • Drinks<br />
• Groceries & Delicatessen<br />
Charity Farm, Swattenden Lane, Cranbrook, TN173PS<br />
Tel: 01580 712546<br />
www.cranbrookfarmshop.co.uk<br />
28 <strong>The</strong> <strong>Cake</strong> • <strong>Spring</strong> <strong>2022</strong>
LOCAL HISTORY<br />
MUSEUM MATTERS<br />
This <strong>Spring</strong> finds us<br />
all optimistic (at<br />
the time of writing!)<br />
that the museum<br />
will be open for<br />
a full season this year. Our<br />
first exhibition – “Unfinished<br />
Business” – will examine some<br />
of the changes that have taken<br />
place over the years to the face<br />
of Stone Street and the High<br />
Street. Do come and see the<br />
social history of our town that<br />
is evident in how shops and<br />
businesses have come and gone<br />
over the past two centuries.<br />
<strong>The</strong> museum opens on Friday<br />
1 April, 2pm to 4.30pm, and<br />
thereafter Tuesdays – Saturdays<br />
and Bank Holiday Mondays. We<br />
will also be open for Nuts in<br />
May, <strong>The</strong> Garden Safari and any<br />
other events in the town. We<br />
look forward to welcoming you!<br />
Despite Covid and the<br />
winter, we have been very busy.<br />
One of our main ambitions<br />
is to develop our Cranbrook<br />
Colony collection and several<br />
new works have been added<br />
since we were last open. <strong>The</strong><br />
most recent is a wonderful<br />
F.D. Hardy oil painting which<br />
was purchased with support<br />
from Arts4Kent. Along with a<br />
delightful Mulready watercolour<br />
and a couple of small Webster<br />
paintings, the collection will be<br />
well worth a visit from anyone<br />
interested in art, the history of<br />
art or Cranbrook’s nationally<br />
important heritage in this area.<br />
Another fascinating addition<br />
to the collection is the discovery<br />
of a long lost stack of 800<br />
photographs from World War I.<br />
Currently undergoing essential<br />
conservation, they will be<br />
displayed publicly in due course.<br />
More to follow on this in a<br />
future edition of <strong>The</strong> <strong>Cake</strong>.<br />
<strong>The</strong> fabric of the museum<br />
“Despite Covid and the winter, we have been very busy. One of our<br />
main ambitions is to develop our Cranbrook Colony collection and<br />
several new works have been added since we were last open”<br />
which is, as you may know,<br />
Grade II listed and dates back<br />
in places to the 15th century,<br />
has been undergoing some<br />
major work with specialist<br />
stonemasons dealing with the<br />
issues. This will be completed<br />
before we reopen. Furthermore,<br />
we have been delighted to<br />
welcome several new volunteers<br />
this winter, who have taken on<br />
specific research and curatorial<br />
tasks. We are always keen to<br />
welcome new volunteers and<br />
have many roles from research<br />
to care and maintenance so do<br />
get in touch if you would like<br />
to be involved in any way. You<br />
don’t need to know anything<br />
about the town’s history to join<br />
us as you will quickly discover<br />
that Cranbrook is a place where<br />
its rich past is ever present.<br />
Mike Huxley<br />
WHEELS OF TIME<br />
Don’t forget the museum (along with the windmill) is part of the<br />
hugely successful Wheels of Time – a heritage trail through Kent for<br />
children and their families with badges to collect!<br />
Great fun for the Easter Holidays! More information on our website<br />
www.cranbrookmuseum.org<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Cake</strong> • <strong>Spring</strong> <strong>2022</strong> 29
KIDS' CORNER<br />
Kids' Corner<br />
Colour<br />
me in<br />
Word<br />
search<br />
Puzzle<br />
time<br />
30 <strong>The</strong> <strong>Cake</strong> • <strong>Spring</strong> <strong>2022</strong>
KIDS' CORNER<br />
Spot 10 differences<br />
Puzzle<br />
time<br />
Book Your Child's Birthday Party with...<br />
Let us take the hard work out of organising your child’s birthday party. We have loved<br />
hosting lots of parties this winter. We will provide tasty, freshly cooked food,<br />
cupcakes tailored to your theme and sweet bags to take away.<br />
Your little ones can play safely with our range of wooden toys and Lego at the building bar.<br />
We can also arrange for a wide range of entertainment options to make the party even more<br />
fun. We will put up balloons and can add other decorations as you wish.<br />
And the best part is – no clearing up!<br />
We can accommodate up to 15 children and their grown-ups.<br />
Visit our website www.gulliversplaycafe.com for more information<br />
or come in to see us at 23 Stone Street, Cranbrook.<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Cake</strong> • <strong>Spring</strong> <strong>2022</strong> 31
HOME & GARDEN<br />
IN THE<br />
GARDEN<br />
Dahlias<br />
According to the<br />
much-admired<br />
plantsman<br />
Christopher Lloyd:<br />
“Some people are<br />
rather repelled by dahlias but it<br />
is the types that are chosen and<br />
the way they are grown…that are<br />
repulsive rather than the dahlia<br />
itself”.<br />
For many years, I just couldn’t<br />
understand why people grew these<br />
often gaudy flowers but, having<br />
been persuaded in the past few<br />
years, I would not be without<br />
them.<br />
According to the late owner<br />
of Great Dixter in his invaluable<br />
book, <strong>The</strong> Well-Tempered Garden,<br />
Mr Lloyd wrote: “…there is such a<br />
variety of flower form and colour<br />
that there must surely be dahlias<br />
to suit every taste”.<br />
Indeed there are! <strong>The</strong>y come in<br />
every colour, except blue, can be<br />
bold to the point of garishness, but<br />
also petite and intriguing like the<br />
orchid-flowered Honka varieties<br />
with their single, eight florets<br />
(mistakenly called petals) flowers.<br />
<strong>The</strong>re are ball and pompom<br />
shaped blooms, dinner plate-sized<br />
ones with more petals than you<br />
can count and paeony-flowered<br />
ones in eye popping colours. If<br />
that wasn’t enough choice, there<br />
are also anemone flowered types<br />
and collarette dahlias…<br />
It is surprising, when looking<br />
at the bold and brassy varieties<br />
that, in the language of flowers,<br />
dahlias stand for “dignity” and<br />
“my gratitude exceeds your care”,<br />
an ideal choice when looking for<br />
a present for someone. Oddly<br />
enough, the flower also has other<br />
meanings, including, “warning<br />
“<strong>The</strong>re must surely<br />
be dahlias to suit<br />
every taste…”<br />
someone about a potential<br />
betrayal” and “staying<br />
graceful under pressure”.<br />
Natives of Mexico, where<br />
they were declared the<br />
country’s national flower in<br />
1963, the flowers’ relatives<br />
include sunflowers, daisies,<br />
chrysanthemums and<br />
zinnias. Stem length ranges<br />
from a mere 12ins to 8ft<br />
so be prepared to allow<br />
plenty of space, and some<br />
staking for the more vigorous<br />
ones. It is interesting to note that<br />
the Aztecs used to grow the tubers<br />
as a food crop but it never caught<br />
on in Europe.<br />
Deciding which dahlia to<br />
grow has never been easy!<br />
<strong>The</strong>re are literally hundreds of<br />
different varieties to choose<br />
from. Café au Lait, a delicate<br />
creamy peachy, ivory, is a stunner<br />
with blooms growing to nine<br />
inches in diameter. In the cactus<br />
dinner plate range Hollyhill<br />
Spiderwoman takes some beating<br />
with its shaggy red and white<br />
florets which scream “look at me”.<br />
Other stunners are the decorative<br />
dark red Arabian Night, the similar<br />
Thomas A Edison and the red<br />
and white dinner plate, Avignon.<br />
<strong>The</strong> choice is mind-blowing and<br />
it is easy to get carried away with<br />
a catalogue or a visit to a plant<br />
centre but once you have grown<br />
dahlias you will be hooked!<br />
HERE ARE A FEW TIPS TO<br />
GROWING AND CUTTING<br />
YOUR DAHLIAS:<br />
1. March is the ideal time to buy tubers<br />
which will flower until the first frosts.<br />
Pick fat, healthy-looking tubers from a<br />
reputable supplier.<br />
2. Wait until all risk of frost has passed before<br />
planting in full sun in rich soil.<br />
4. Make sure your plants are well-watered.<br />
Feed once a month and deadhead<br />
regularly for continuous flowers.<br />
5. When the leaves start to turn brown in the<br />
autumn, dig up the tubers, carefully clean<br />
off the soil and store in a box of dry sand<br />
or sawdust in a frost-free place.<br />
6. To keep your cut dahlias looking good,<br />
put in a vase in a cool, shady spot. Add<br />
flower food or substitute with a teaspoon<br />
of sugar, two or three drops of bleach and<br />
a dessert spoon of vinegar. Trim the stems<br />
regularly.<br />
Penny Royal<br />
32 <strong>The</strong> <strong>Cake</strong> • <strong>Spring</strong> <strong>2022</strong>
HOME & GARDEN<br />
Let’s Cook<br />
Sweet Pepper Pots<br />
Sweet peppers are a great vegetable – so<br />
versatile and delicious – and mixed with a<br />
few every-day store cupboard ingredients<br />
make a fabulous dish which never fails<br />
to please. It is delicious on its own (a<br />
great starter) as a main course with some<br />
warm, crusty bread or served alongside<br />
fish. I guarantee once you have made this,<br />
it will become a go-to favourite!<br />
INGREDIENTS<br />
Serves 2-3<br />
250g of butter<br />
1 large red pepper, deseeded and chopped<br />
1 onion chopped<br />
1 garlic clove, grated<br />
225g plump tomatoes<br />
Half a tsp of sugar<br />
2 tsps of capers<br />
4 tbs double cream or crème fraiche<br />
Grated Parmesan<br />
Salt and cayenne pepper<br />
WHAT TO DO<br />
1. Melt the butter and add the pepper,<br />
onion and garlic. Cook over a gentle heat,<br />
stirring often, until the peppers are soft.<br />
2. Put the tomatoes in a bowl, pour over<br />
boiling water and leave for a few seconds<br />
until the skins start peeling off. Remove<br />
the skins. Cut the tomatoes in half, scoop<br />
out the seeds and discard then chop the<br />
flesh.<br />
3. Add to the pan and cook slowly for<br />
15 minutes until they are thick and<br />
mushy. Stir in the sugar, salt and a pinch<br />
of cayenne pepper. Spoon into small<br />
ovenproof dishes and leave to cool.<br />
4. If the capers are salty, rinse and soak<br />
for at least an hour, then squeeze dry.<br />
Capers in vinegar need to be rinsed and<br />
dried before chopping. Mix the capers<br />
and the cream/crème fraiche, spoon<br />
over the pepper mixture and sprinkle<br />
with Parmesan. Bake in a hot oven 210C<br />
(fan) 400F, Gas 9 or grill until speckled<br />
with brown.<br />
Bon appetite!<br />
Emma Fraser<br />
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<strong>The</strong> <strong>Cake</strong> • <strong>Spring</strong> <strong>2022</strong> 33
LETTINGS AND SALES PROPERTY EXPERTS<br />
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FOR YOUR FREE MARKET APPRAISAL CALL US TODAY<br />
Lettings 01580 720400 ∙ Sales 01580 720000<br />
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www.jackson-stops.co.uk<br />
34 <strong>The</strong> <strong>Cake</strong> • <strong>Spring</strong> <strong>2022</strong>
BADGER’S PLOT<br />
<strong>Spring</strong> MusingsJOBS ON<br />
We are entering an exciting<br />
and busy time of the year<br />
in the kitchen garden or<br />
on the plot. <strong>The</strong> days are<br />
getting longer and the<br />
sun is warming the soil. But there is still the<br />
risk of late frosts and cold northerly winds<br />
which act as reminders that summer has not<br />
arrived yet.<br />
I have previously suggested the possibility<br />
of creating a herb garden. <strong>The</strong>re are many<br />
clever ideas on the subject but this is going<br />
to be a little more basic, serving to supply<br />
only the kitchen with the more popular<br />
herbs.<br />
Choice of site is important as most<br />
common herbs originated in the<br />
Mediterranean, so plenty of sun is preferred.<br />
<strong>The</strong> size of the bed will be determined by<br />
what you want to grow and about eight<br />
feet by four feet would be just right for a<br />
beginner. Fork in some well-rotted organic<br />
compost and rake it to a fine tilth. Avoid<br />
using manure or artificial fertilizer. If you<br />
your soil is clay based, try to improve the<br />
drainage with gravel or grit.<br />
<strong>The</strong>re are many varieties of herb and<br />
you may have personal favourites but<br />
try to include sage, thyme, chive, parsley<br />
and rosemary. Mints are also a must but<br />
beware! <strong>The</strong>y are very invasive and spread<br />
everywhere if not controlled. Try setting<br />
a large pot in the soil and filling it with<br />
compost which will help confine the roots.<br />
Garden centres always have a good selection<br />
of plants if you don’t have time to sow seeds.<br />
I have split this period into three: early<br />
spring, mid spring and late spring.<br />
EARLY SPRING<br />
Sowing under glass or greenhouse:<br />
Tomatoes, courgettes, squashes, chilli,<br />
aubergines, peppers, peas, broccoli, celery<br />
and beetroot.<br />
Sowing or planting outside: Sow parsnips,<br />
radishes, early carrots and potatoes. Plant<br />
out onion sets and shallots. Asparagus<br />
crowns can be planted but remember they<br />
won’t produce edible spears for at least two<br />
years. It’s not too late to plant out garlic and<br />
broad beans.<br />
MID SPRING<br />
Sowing under glass or greenhouse: Brussels<br />
sprouts, autumn cabbage and sweetcorn<br />
followed by runner and French beans and<br />
cucumber.<br />
Sowing or planting outdoors: Provided<br />
all risk of frost has passed, plant courgettes,<br />
celery and celeriac.<br />
LATE SPRING<br />
Sowing under glass/greenhouse or outdoors:<br />
Kale, purple sprouting broccoli, savoy<br />
cabbage, swede and lettuce, with carrots and<br />
beetroot towards the end of spring. Leeks<br />
can also be planted out if grown from seed.<br />
Top Tip!<br />
Almost all vegetable seeds stand a better<br />
chance of germination if sown in plug trays.<br />
Planting out the seedlings in their “plugs”<br />
gives them a much better chance of survival.<br />
THE PLOT<br />
With warmer weather and longer<br />
daylight hours, your plot will show<br />
signs of weed growth and it’s important<br />
to weed regularly otherwise all the hard<br />
work of sowing and planting will be<br />
lost if your plants have to compete with<br />
weeds for nutrients.<br />
It is worthwhile familiarising yourself<br />
with the following weeds: couch grass,<br />
dock, creeping thistle, bindweed,<br />
buttercup, dandelion, mare’s tail,<br />
nettle, chickweed and bramble. None is<br />
welcome and don’t put any of them on<br />
your compost heap.<br />
After clearing away the remains of<br />
last season’s crops, prepare the ground<br />
for immediate composting so that it<br />
will be in the right condition when this<br />
season’s plants are ready for the soil.<br />
In earlier columns I referred to<br />
companion planting where certain<br />
plants can be grown among vegetables<br />
to encourage growth or deter pests.<br />
In some cases, the flowers are used<br />
as sacrificial plants to protect the<br />
vegetables. Since the use of chemicals<br />
for these activities is being discouraged,<br />
now might be the time to conduct a<br />
trial of your own. Generally speaking,<br />
the companions should be planted at<br />
the end of rows and removed in the<br />
late autumn. <strong>The</strong>re are a great many<br />
combinations currently in use. Here are<br />
a few suggestions:<br />
• Beans: Nasturtium – attracts blackfly<br />
– sacrificial plant<br />
• Carrots: <strong>Spring</strong> onions amongst crop<br />
discourages carrot root fly<br />
• Cucumbers: Nasturtium attracts<br />
blackfly and improves flavour of<br />
cucumber<br />
• Potatoes: Chamomile enhances<br />
flavour and attract pollinators<br />
• Tomatoes: Basil improves growth and<br />
deters pests<br />
• Squash: Borage improves growth and<br />
flavour, attracts pollinators<br />
• Brassica’s: Chamomile aids growth<br />
and enhances flavour<br />
As can be seen, some of the<br />
companion plants can also be harvested<br />
for the kitchen. Badger<br />
Badger<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Cake</strong> • <strong>Spring</strong> <strong>2022</strong> 35
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36 <strong>The</strong> <strong>Cake</strong> • <strong>Spring</strong> <strong>2022</strong>
Art Comes in Many Forms<br />
and Always Tells a Story<br />
Annie Watsham presents the numerous ways people can express themselves through art<br />
ART<br />
Whether we’re<br />
creating art<br />
ourselves<br />
or viewing<br />
the work of<br />
others, it is a medium through<br />
which we can communicate and<br />
express our inner feelings and<br />
our creativity. Art knows no<br />
boundaries and essentially always<br />
tells a story – it’s a true form of<br />
communication, and humans are<br />
wired to enjoy stories!<br />
Whether you’re an existing<br />
artist or a budding artist here’s a<br />
brief precis:<br />
Stillness in <strong>Spring</strong> by Hannah<br />
Buchanan<br />
PAINTINGS<br />
Painting come in many different<br />
formats in different media.<br />
Still life, landscapes, seascapes,<br />
abstract, portraiture and pop<br />
art are types of painting genres<br />
using oil, acrylics, watercolours<br />
or indeed mixed media, including<br />
collage. <strong>The</strong> surface that’s used<br />
e.g. canvas, board, paper and<br />
even wood, has a bearing on how<br />
the finished painting will look.<br />
This peaceful piece by local artist<br />
Hannah Buchanan is executed in<br />
oil on canvas board.<br />
SCULPTURES<br />
Sculptures are three-dimensional<br />
art forms using materials such<br />
as clay, stone or wood and are<br />
essentially formed bit by bit into<br />
a particular shape and structure,<br />
as in the case of a clay sculpture,<br />
or chiselled and carved from a<br />
block of wood or a piece of stone/<br />
marble.<br />
PHOTOGRAPHY<br />
Photography is the art of<br />
producing an image of an<br />
object on a photographic<br />
film. <strong>The</strong> way the image is<br />
captured with the use of light<br />
differs from photographer to<br />
photographer and can be used<br />
for fashion photography, wildlife<br />
photography, food photography,<br />
wedding photography and<br />
portraiture.<br />
JEWELLERY DESIGN<br />
Jewellery design involves the<br />
design of intricate pieces of<br />
jewellery from metals, wood,<br />
glass or plastic. Metals that are<br />
primarily used for designing<br />
jewellery are gold, silver,<br />
platinum and copper. Jewellery<br />
design also incorporates precious<br />
and semi-precious stones for its<br />
execution.<br />
Art glass by Beverley Bunn<br />
ART GLASS<br />
Kent artist Beverley Bunn<br />
creates kiln-formed glass art for<br />
both domestic and commercial<br />
interiors and outdoor spaces,<br />
from decorative wall panels<br />
to practical light sconces and<br />
splashbacks, garden wall art to<br />
sculpture. With a background<br />
in engineering, Beverley enjoys<br />
pushing the boundaries of this<br />
fascinating medium to achieve a<br />
variety of textures, illusions and<br />
movement in her work.<br />
PRINTMAKING<br />
Printmaking is an artistic<br />
process based on the principle of<br />
transferring images from a matrix<br />
onto another surface, most<br />
often paper or fabric. Traditional<br />
printmaking techniques include<br />
woodcut, etching, engraving, and<br />
lithography. Modern artists have<br />
expanded available techniques to<br />
include screen printing.<br />
Feeding the Ducks by Carole Aston<br />
LINOCUT<br />
Linocut is a printmaking<br />
technique, a variant of woodcut<br />
in which a sheet of linoleum is<br />
used for a relief surface. A design<br />
is cut into the lino surface with<br />
a sharp knife, V-shaped chisel<br />
or gouge, with the raised areas<br />
representing a reversal (mirror<br />
image) of the parts to show<br />
printed. <strong>The</strong> lino sheet is inked<br />
with a roller and then impressed<br />
onto paper or fabric. <strong>The</strong> actual<br />
printing can be done by hand or<br />
with a printing press. Local artist<br />
Carole Aston uses this technique<br />
to great effect!<br />
CERAMICS<br />
Ceramics cover any of the various<br />
hard, brittle, heat-resistant and<br />
corrosion-resistant materials<br />
made by shaping and then firing<br />
an inorganic, non-metallic<br />
material, such as clay, at a high<br />
temperature. Common examples<br />
are earthenware, porcelain, and<br />
brick.<br />
Lace Emulsion<br />
Etching on<br />
Corrugated<br />
Iron by Scarlett<br />
Woodman<br />
OTHER<br />
MEDIUMS<br />
Basically, an<br />
imaginative<br />
artist can use<br />
just about<br />
any medium<br />
for their art. Local artist<br />
Scarlett Woodman often uses a<br />
combination of constructive and<br />
destructive processes including<br />
painting, drawing, scratching and<br />
burning and works mostly with<br />
reclaimed building materials.<br />
Whichever art form you choose<br />
to use or view – there are no<br />
boundaries – enjoy!<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Cake</strong> • <strong>Spring</strong> <strong>2022</strong> 37
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38 <strong>The</strong> <strong>Cake</strong> • <strong>Spring</strong> <strong>2022</strong>
LEGAL ADVICE<br />
Ask our<br />
Friendly Experts<br />
No fault divorce, what does this mean for me?<br />
For many years complainers have<br />
argued that divorcing couples<br />
should be able to divorce without<br />
apportioning blame. Resolution,<br />
the body of family lawyers<br />
committed to resolving family dispute in an<br />
amicable way, have championed for a long<br />
time for there to be no fault divorce. <strong>The</strong><br />
government has decided this is the right way<br />
forward and the approach was made law by<br />
the Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Act<br />
2020.<br />
Whilst it was thought the new<br />
arrangements would come into practice this<br />
autumn it is now understood no fault divorce<br />
will start on 6 April <strong>2022</strong>.<br />
<strong>The</strong> benefits of the new system are that<br />
you will no longer need to find a reason to<br />
divorce your spouse, and this will remove<br />
the need for there to be “blame” but that the<br />
divorce process will start on the sole ground<br />
of irretrievable breakdown.<br />
It’s a commonly held misconception that<br />
if one party is seen to have behaved badly<br />
in the marriage that this will affect the<br />
resolution of the finances, but this is in fact<br />
rarely the case. It is fair to say “conduct” will<br />
only be taken into account by the Court in a<br />
very small number of cases. Removing blame<br />
perhaps removes the need one party might<br />
feel to focus on the future in a more positive<br />
way rather than be backwards looking.<br />
If the couple are agreed they can present<br />
a joint application, which may be seen by<br />
many to be a fairer approach. Even where<br />
there is not agreement one party can apply<br />
but the other will not be able to stand in<br />
their way and try to prevent the divorce as<br />
may have occurred in the past. This means<br />
that the new process will be more certain and<br />
straight forward for both parties.<br />
<strong>The</strong>re will be new terminology:<br />
• <strong>The</strong> Petitioner will become the Applicant<br />
• <strong>The</strong> Decree Nisi will be replaced by the<br />
Conditional Order<br />
• <strong>The</strong> Decree Absolute will become the Final<br />
Order.<br />
<strong>The</strong> timetable for the divorce will also<br />
change in that there will be a six month<br />
“cooling off” period between the date the<br />
proceedings are started and the grant of the<br />
Conditional Order. <strong>The</strong> idea behind this is to<br />
allow the parties time to:<br />
• Reflect on the marriage and whether it can<br />
be repaired<br />
• Agree a financial settlement<br />
• Sort out arrangements for children.<br />
<strong>The</strong>re will still be a period of six weeks<br />
between the Conditional Order and applying<br />
for the Final Order which will dissolve the<br />
marriage.<br />
I AM CONSIDERING A DIVORCE NOW,<br />
SHOULD I WAIT UNTIL APRIL <strong>2022</strong>?<br />
<strong>The</strong>re really is no need to wait as in most<br />
cases, even now, and particularly with online<br />
applications the process is straight forward.<br />
Moreover, under the current system there<br />
is no lengthy cooling off period. Once the<br />
Decree Nisi is granted the Petitioner can<br />
apply for the Decree Absolute six weeks<br />
thereafter, albeit there may be reasons why<br />
your solicitor may suggest you wait.<br />
However, if you think your spouse will<br />
try to contest the proceedings or you do<br />
not have a reason to start the proceedings<br />
now (adultery, behaviour etc.) and would<br />
otherwise have to wait two or five years then<br />
it might be advisable to wait until the new<br />
law comes into effect.<br />
MARGARET SCULPHER<br />
Associate Solicitor<br />
Margaret Sculpher at<br />
our Cranbrook office<br />
is happy to help. She<br />
offers 30 minute no<br />
obligation, confidential,<br />
initial meetings – please<br />
do email her to make enquiries. As a<br />
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Resolution, Margaret will ensure your<br />
matter is handled in a caring and sensitive<br />
way, offering sensible practical advice.<br />
T: 01892 502354 or E: msculpher@<br />
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Cranbrook, TN17 3DN<br />
01580 712 215 or info@bussmurton.co.uk<br />
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<strong>The</strong> <strong>Cake</strong> • <strong>Spring</strong> <strong>2022</strong> 39
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40 <strong>The</strong> <strong>Cake</strong> • <strong>Spring</strong> <strong>2022</strong>
<strong>The</strong> Parish<br />
Council’s<br />
Budget Precept<br />
For <strong>2022</strong>-23<br />
Cllr Robin Beck, chairman of Policy and<br />
Resources Committee, explains where your<br />
money goes<br />
Update<br />
It’s that time of year again<br />
when I have the privilege<br />
of reporting to you the<br />
budget that has been set<br />
for the period to April<br />
2023.<br />
No doubt, you will recall<br />
that last year CSPC managed<br />
to reduce our element of your<br />
council tax by 0.09%.<br />
Unfortunately, I cannot report<br />
such good news this year. We<br />
have had to raise the precept<br />
by 3.71% which equates to<br />
£4.99 per annum for a Band D<br />
property which will pay £139.34<br />
this year.<br />
<strong>The</strong> total budget has<br />
increased from £351,000 last<br />
year to £372,000, a rise of<br />
£21,000 is mainly attributable<br />
to the Policy & Resources sector<br />
which is responsible for 75% of<br />
the total expenditure.<br />
<strong>The</strong> principal costs can be<br />
summarised as follows:<br />
· Administrative costs 52%<br />
· Contractual Obligations 24%<br />
· Medical and Community<br />
project 18%<br />
· Other miscellaneous costs<br />
and contingency 6%<br />
It is important to highlight<br />
that the professional costs<br />
associated with the medical<br />
and community centre are<br />
now beginning to be incurred<br />
and must be accrued for as the<br />
project evolves<br />
Sixty new houses have<br />
been built in the parish last<br />
year, which have contributed<br />
approximately £8,000k<br />
towards our income, and as<br />
other projects are completed,<br />
significant revenue will be<br />
generated to contribute toward<br />
costs.<br />
I must acknowledge once<br />
again the expertise of former<br />
councillor, Brian Swann, whose<br />
experience has been invaluable<br />
“I must acknowledge once again the<br />
expertise of former councillor, Brian<br />
Swann, whose experience has been<br />
invaluable in preparing the figures”<br />
in preparing the figures.<br />
To make the subject a<br />
little more interesting, the<br />
colourful chart above reflects<br />
the expenditure of the various<br />
committees.<br />
<strong>The</strong> detailed information<br />
relating to the figures can be<br />
seen on the parish council’s<br />
website. Obviously, should you<br />
have any observations or wish<br />
to discuss any particular aspect<br />
please contact me through the<br />
clerks at the parish office.<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Cake</strong> • <strong>Spring</strong> <strong>2022</strong> 41
THE CAKE CHATS WITH…<br />
Troy Scott-Smith<br />
Trisha Fermor talks to returning head gardener at Sissinghurst Castle<br />
It is clear for all to see that<br />
he loves Sissinghurst Castle<br />
and its stunning garden set<br />
around the tranquillity of a<br />
500-year-old property.<br />
So much so, that he came back<br />
for a third time to take up the<br />
role of head gardener.<br />
He told <strong>The</strong> <strong>Cake</strong>: “It is nice<br />
to be back. I always feel so<br />
comfortable here, it is so much<br />
more than just a garden.”<br />
Asked why he returned, Troy<br />
said: “My successor had left and<br />
Juliet Nicolson, [granddaughter<br />
of Harold Nicolson and Vita<br />
Sackville-West who made the<br />
garden], asked if I would come<br />
back and I couldn’t say no.”<br />
His devotion to gardening and<br />
plants was fired by a childhood<br />
love of nature. Born and bred in<br />
Yorkshire, he studied horticulture<br />
at Askham Bryan College in York,<br />
joining the team at Sissinghurst<br />
eight years later in 1992.<br />
As well as Sissinghurst, he<br />
has gained experience at the<br />
much-loved Bodnant<br />
Garden in Wales and<br />
at Courts Garden<br />
in Wiltshire.<br />
Before moving<br />
back to Kent<br />
“<strong>The</strong>re is a bond you get<br />
with a garden when you<br />
give so much time and<br />
energy, you become very<br />
entwined with it.”<br />
last autumn, Troy was head<br />
gardener at Iford Manor Gardens<br />
in Wiltshire. Mainly created<br />
by Harold Peto who lived at<br />
Iford from 1899 to 1933, he<br />
designed gardens for royalty and<br />
aristocracy around the world.<br />
Troy and his partner, Anne, and<br />
children Rowan, 14, and Maiwen<br />
12, both born at Bodnant, now<br />
have a new home in part of the<br />
castle. Before, they lived in one of<br />
the cottages on the estate.<br />
<strong>The</strong>ir current home is just<br />
a stone’s throw away from the<br />
Delos garden, originally created<br />
by Harold and Vita, which lost<br />
its identity over the years. A<br />
few years ago, Troy’s friend and<br />
world-renowned garden designer,<br />
Dan Pearson, offered to re-design<br />
the Greek-inspired garden. <strong>The</strong><br />
huge scheme, involving the<br />
removal of trees, shrubs and<br />
plants and the installation of tons<br />
of Kentish rag stone, is greatly<br />
admired by Troy.<br />
While his heart is definitely<br />
in the garden - “I get a feeling<br />
of real closeness to Vita and<br />
Harold” - the family has bought<br />
a small farm in Cumbria and is<br />
converting an old barn into a<br />
house, “for the long term”.<br />
So what is next? He said: “I am<br />
planning to tackle the conflict<br />
between conservation and access<br />
together with historical integrity,<br />
garden management with a<br />
recipe for each area and organic<br />
status for the vegetable garden.<br />
“<strong>The</strong>re is a bond you get with<br />
a garden when you give so much<br />
time and energy, you become<br />
very entwined with it.”<br />
His favourite plant? “It would<br />
have to be a rose. <strong>The</strong> Gallica rose<br />
‘Sissinghurst Castle’ is the best.”<br />
Delighted to be back he added:<br />
“It is probably the best job in<br />
gardening.”<br />
42 <strong>The</strong> <strong>Cake</strong> • <strong>Spring</strong> <strong>2022</strong>
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Acrylic nail extension infill - £25<br />
Gel manicure - £25<br />
Luxury pedicure - £35<br />
Nail art - £5<br />
Holistic wellness<br />
Holistic massage, reiki, hot stone & Indian head<br />
massage - from £55<br />
B<br />
V<br />
ISABELLE SZUMNIAK<br />
Carriers Road, Cranbrook, TN17 3JX | 01580 438003<br />
Isabelleszumniak@hotmail.co.uk | www.issyszumniak.co.uk
Local firm of solicitors for all your<br />
personal and business needs<br />
Property Conveyancing<br />
Family, Children & Divorce<br />
Employment law<br />
Wills, Trusts and Probate<br />
Litigation & Dispute Resolution<br />
Company & Commercial law<br />
Our Cranbrook Office:<br />
Clermont House<br />
High Street<br />
Cranbrook<br />
Kent TN17 3DN<br />
T: 01580 712 215<br />
E: info@bussmurton.co.uk<br />
www.bussmurton.co.uk<br />
CRANBROOK | TUNBRIDGE WELLS | EAST GRINSTEAD<br />
Buss Murton Law LLP is a Limited Liability Partnership No. OC345994 and is authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority