This week in Tunbridge Wells...

A local team chases history this weekend. Cadillac Hertz Team Jota races at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and they want the win. Closer to home, a new photo project wants your work. Common Ground asks you to capture the places you love, and it picks 50 for a September show.

There is plenty on stage, too. William Dalrymple visits the Assembly Hall on Monday with the story of the East India Company. On Thursday, Ruby Wax brings her sharp wit to the same room.

Have a great week.

WEATHER

Monday: 13°C 🌡️ 21°C | ⛅

Tuesday: 13°C 🌡️ 24°C | ⛅

Wednesday: 13°C 🌡️ 22°C | ⛅

HAWK REC FEST

Looking for an easy Sunday plan?

Hawk Rec Fest returns to Hawkenbury Recreation Ground on Sunday 28 June (11am–3pm) with live entertainment, local food, family activities and community stalls.

Expect:
🎶 Live music and performances
🍕 Food, coffee, cakes and sweet treats
🎨 Face painting and activities for children
🛍️ Independent makers and local stalls
🎟️ Games, raffles and prizes

With local charities, community groups and plenty happening across the afternoon, it’s one of those events where you can turn up for an hour and end up staying all day.

Sunday 28 June | 11am–3pm​
📍 Hawkenbury Recreation Ground, TN2 5BW
🎟️ Free entry • All welcome

THE BRIEF

🪓 Fire Station May Be Axed: Kent's fire service has drawn up plans that could affect the Tunbridge Wells fire station. The on-call section at the 24-hour station is under review. Bosses call such sections an "over-provision" and say the money could work harder elsewhere. Full-time cover should not change. The wider plan also proposes closing five on-call stations: Grain, Wye, Chilham, Westerham and Cliffe. The details came to light after officials shared them with staff by mistake, and the chief executive apologised. A public consultation opens on 25 June. Read more here.​

🅿️ Car Park Change: Two council car parks in Royal Tunbridge Wells will change how they operate from 1st July. Meadow Road car park will open 24 hours a day. The change follows its transfer to the borough council from private management. The council says round-the-clock access will help retail workers who start early, and permits will be available. Royal Victoria Place car park will move to new hours from the same date. It will open Monday to Saturday from 8am to 7pm. On Sundays it will open from 9.30am to 5.30pm. Read more here.​

🫗 SE Water to Pay Up: South East Water is working out what compensation it owes customers hit by supply problems. About 22,000 properties lost water at the peak of the May issues, which the firm blamed on high demand after hot weather. The trouble followed earlier failures around Tunbridge Wells from November and more across Kent in January.

Households get set payments under a regulator-backed scheme: £50 for each 12-hour outage, plus money for low pressure and boil-water notices. Typical households hit from November were due £680. A separate £1.2m fund covers Tunbridge Wells businesses, with claims open until 19th June. Read more here.​

🏁 24 Hour TW Team: A Tunbridge Wells motorsport team is chasing a landmark win this weekend. Cadillac Hertz Team Jota will race in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, hoping for its first overall victory in the French classic since the team formed in 2000. Drivers race nonstop for 24 hours around the 8.5-mile Circuit de la Sarthe. Driver Jack Aitken called Le Mans "the Everest of motor racing". The team has grown from its founder and one mechanic into a 75-strong operation, and its Cadillac partnership pits it against Ferrari, Porsche and Alpine. The 93rd race starts on Saturday. Read more here.​

📸 Submit Your Work: A new photography project is asking residents and workers to capture what makes Royal Tunbridge Wells special. Common Ground will celebrate the town's spaces, landmarks, community moments and landscapes. Anyone can enter, whatever their age or skill. Each person may submit up to five photos, each with a short note on why the subject matters. Judges will pick up to 50 images for a public exhibition staged across the town in September. Entries close on Friday 24 July. Submit at rtwcommonground.com.

TW LIFE COMMUNITY BOARD

Real people. Real need. Real impact.

KentRelief is a Kent-based charity working tirelessly to support those affected by the war in Ukraine. We've shipped over 150 tonnes of aid — from food and medicine to firefighting equipment — and helped countless Ukrainian families rebuild their lives here in the UK.

But we can't do it without you. Volunteer, donate, or spread the word.

Together, we can make a difference. kentrelief.org.uk | Registered charity 1204501

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THIS WEEK

Speldhurst Village Fete | Speldhurst | Sat, 11am to 4:30pm | All day fun! Marquees full of delightful produce, art & crafts! | Details​

William Dalrymple: The Relentless Rise of the East India Company | Assembly Hall | Mon 15 Jun, 7:30pm | Historian charts the East India Company's rise | From £34.25​

Trinity summer workshops & courses begin | Trinity Theatre | from Mon 15 Jun | Drama, Italian and musical-theatre fitness sessions start | See details​

Kindness: A Legacy of the Holocaust | Trinity Theatre | Wed 17 Jun | Powerful drama on the Holocaust's enduring legacy | See details​

Ruby Wax: Absolutely Famous | Assembly Hall | Thu 18 Jun, 7:30pm | Comic revisits her star-packed TV interviews | From £34.25​

Lost in Music | Assembly Hall | Fri 19 Jun, 7:30pm | Live tribute to seventies disco classics | From £37.25​

Stagecoach: Lights, Camera, Action! | Assembly Hall | Sat 20 Jun | Young performers' song, dance and drama showcase | See details​

Hever's Home Front: Father's Day Weekend | Hever Castle | Sat 20 Jun – Sun 21 Jun | 1940s wartime living history across the estate | Included with admission​

Willow Spinning Workshop | Hever Castle | Sun 21 Jun | Learn to craft with willow | See details​

Our Own Exhibition – Archaeology | The Amelia | to Mon 29 Jun | Community-curated dig into local archaeology | Free entry​

Old Castle Tours | Scotney Castle | select dates to 31 Jul | Behind-the-scenes tour of the moated ruin | See details​

Table Tennis | Sunnyside Hall | Mon & Sun | Play table tennis every week (1st session is free) | £4​

Badminton & Pickleball | Sunnyside Hall | Fri, 6pm | Play badminton & pickleball every week (1st session is free) | £5​

Walking Tennis | St John's Tennis Club | Tues, 1:30pm | The gentler version of the game, perfect for older people or those recovering. | More details​

FURTHER OUT

Hever in Bloom | Hever Castle | Mon 22 Jun – Sun 5 Jul | Summer gardens at their flowering peak | Included with admission​

Jools Holland & His Rhythm & Blues Orchestra | Assembly Hall | Wed 24 Jun | Boogie-woogie piano legend with full orchestra | See details​

Dr Ian's Moth Morning | The Amelia | Sat 27 Jun | Meet moths with a local expert | See details​

Outdoor Theatre: Peter Rabbit | Scotney Castle | Sat 1 Aug, 6pm | Family outdoor theatre in the grounds | See details​

An Evening with the Music of Paul Simon | Scotney Castle | Thu 13 Aug, 7:30pm | Open-air concert celebrating Paul Simon | See details​

SPORT

Results

🏏 13 Jun Tunbridge Wells vs. Minster (Sheppey). Minster won by 36 runs.

Fixtures

🏏 20 Jun Blackheath CC v Tunbridge Wells CC (1st XI) Kent League Prem

🏏 21 Jun Beckenham vs. Tunbridge Wells (Women's)

THANK YOU

Hope you enjoyed this week's letter!

Jamie

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