THE BRIEF
🚶One Big Walk: This September, Mencap is inviting people across the UK to take part in One Big Walk, raising funds for the 1.5 million people with a learning disability. Choose from walking 1.5 miles daily, a 15-mile challenge, or 150 miles across the month. Money raised will help tackle stigma, fight inequalities, and support Mencap’s life-changing work. Sign up at www.mencap.org.uk/event/one-big-walk and make a difference - every step counts. This is your chance to help create a fairer society for everyone. Read more here.
🏰Folly For Sale: Hadlow Tower, West Kent’s striking 175ft Gothic folly, is back on the market for £2.78m. Built in 1838 and Grade I listed, it has four bedrooms, five floors, and even a lift. Once part of a grand Romantic Gothic castle, it has survived demolition, storm damage, and decades of disrepair, undergoing a £4m restoration in 2013 to become the UK’s tallest folly. Local legend says it was built for a jilted husband to spy on his wife - though historians disagree. The current owner is moving abroad. Read more from Martin Webber here.
🏓World No.1 Remains Unbeaten: Tunbridge Wells’ Paralympic champion Will Bayley kept his 2025 unbeaten streak alive with gold in the ITTF World Para Future Spokane event. The world No.1 overcame Norway’s Krizander Magnussen 3-1 in a tense final, rallying after dropping the second set and dominating the fourth 11-1. Bayley’s path to victory included wins over opponents from the USA, Austria, Brazil, and Sweden. He now heads into the Elite event in Washington this weekend, aiming to maintain his momentum. Read more from KentOnline here.
🏉Bid To Buy Rugby Club Land: A campaign has been launched to buy and protect land owned by Tunbridge Wells Rugby Football Club, next to St Mark’s Recreation Ground, from housing development. The Green Weald Alliance has registered the site as an Asset of Community Value and plans to bid for it. The proposed scheme, by Esquire Developments, would see the club relocate and the land redeveloped with homes, a care home, a nursery, and employment space. Sport England is expected to oppose the loss of sports facilities. Read more from Susan King here.
🥩Have A Butcher's: Old Spot Butchery has opened its doors on Camden Road. Offering free range, grass-fed meat alongside low-intervention wines, craft beers, and local produce like Penelope Coffee. Owner Sean Maher sources beef from Broxhall Farm in Canterbury and is happy to share cooking tips and recipes. Surrounded by independent favourites including Mexcellent, Locality farm shop, and Halstead Bakery, the shop joins a vibrant food scene in the heart of town. Read more from Mary Harris here.
🛤️SouthEastern Recruitment: Southeastern is holding a recruitment open day at Tonbridge Castle on 12th August. They're offering roles at Tonbridge, Tunbridge Wells, and Sevenoaks stations. Visitors can meet staff, learn about benefits such as free travel and a final salary pension, and get guidance on applying. The event comes as applications have doubled to 30,000 in the past year. Gate line staff member Alexander Mills shared how his lifelong passion for railways led him to join the company and praised the career growth opportunities. Read more from SouthEastern here.
🧸Toy Museum Opens: Penshurst Place’s much-loved Toy Museum has reopened after a major £100,000 revamp, unveiled during a 55th anniversary celebration on 31st July. Families enjoyed teddy bear storytelling, crafts, and games before exploring the reimagined space, now home to 2,000 toys across four themed zones. Highlights include an 18th-century Queen Anne doll and a Victorian paper Peep Show. The museum continues to connect generations through shared memories. Open daily until 2nd November with a Gardens & Grounds ticket. Read more here.
