It’s been a big week for Tunbridge Wells.

Local hero Matt Weston has made Olympic history with skeleton gold in Milano Cortina. Meanwhile, South East Water has revealed the Christmas outage cost nearly £30m… and may have been preventable. On the lighter side, Roddy Burger is back in the National Burger Awards final (they came 2nd last year).

Plus: cosmic kids’ drawing at The Amelia and electronic legend Wolfgang Flür live at The Forum.

WEATHER

Monday: 3°C 🌡️ 10°C | 🌧️

Tuesday: 2°C 🌡️ 8°C | ⛅

Wednesday: 5°C 🌡️ 7°C | 🌧️

THE BRIEF

🥇 Local Olympian Takes Gold: Tunbridge Wells’ Matt Weston has made history at the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics. He is the first British man to win Olympic skeleton gold. The 28-year-old sealed victory with a record-breaking combined time of 3min 43.33sec, finishing ahead of Germany’s Axel Jungk.

Weston, who led after day one, delivered two blistering runs despite a helmet controversy earlier in the Games. His triumph ends Team GB’s medal wait and marks a dramatic turnaround from his 15th-place finish in Beijing. Read more here.

🚿 £ Down the Drain: South East Water says the Tunbridge Wells outage cost it nearly £30 million. More than 24,000 homes lost water before Christmas. Schools and care homes were hit. Firms may have lost up to £20 million. At a meeting on 02 February, chief executive David Hinton said a £20,000 backup at Pembury could have stopped it. He said the risk was not foreseen. Customers criticised changing updates. The firm says it is working on long-term fixes. Read more here.

🍔 Cheeseburger Champions?: Tunbridge Wells’ Roddy Burger is through to the 2026 National Burger Awards final. The Camden Road restaurant is one of 16 shortlisted for its double-patty burger, The Gazza. Owner Richard Oddy said the team is “beyond excited” to be finalists for a second year. Roddy Burger finished second in 2025. This year’s live final takes place on 24 March at Big Penny Social in London, where chefs will face signature, technical and plant-based rounds. Read more here.

👗 Concession to Close: LK Bennett’s concession in Hoopers, Tunbridge Wells, and its Bluewater store are expected to close by April after the fashion chain entered administration. The brand has been bought by investment firm Gordon Brothers, but the deal does not include its shops. Nine standalone stores and 13 concessions will trade for up to three months while operations wind down. Up to 89 jobs could be at risk. The brand, once favoured by Catherine, Princess of Wales, is set to leave the high street. Read more here.

🔋 Electrifying: EV operator RAW Charging has opened a new ten-bay hub at Knights Park leisure park in Tunbridge Wells. The site includes four 22kW fast chargers, four 50kW rapid chargers and two 150kW ultra-rapid units. It forms part of RAW’s partnership with Aviva Investors, with more locations planned across its retail portfolio. Chief executive Jason Simpson said the hub aims to make charging easier for visitors while they shop or dine. Read more here.

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THIS WEEK

Children's Drawing Workshop - Chloe Savage | The Amelia | Sat, 10am | Cute cosmic drawing workshop with award-winning illustrator Chloe | £10​

The Choral | Trinity Theatre | Fri, 7:30pm | WWI choir drama with Ralph Fiennes—moving, stirring stuff | £8+​

One Battle After Another | Trinity Theatre | Sat, 7:30pm | Wild PTA epic—DiCaprio’s unhinged revolutionary comeback | £8+​

Gardens Open | Penshurst Place | Mon to Sun | Gardens reopening — wander before spring crowds arrive | Details​

Percy Porcupine’s Party food feast Garden Trail | Penshurst Place | Mon to Sun | Cute garden trail — help Percy find his party snacks | With Admission​

Lloyd of the Flies AR Trail | Hever Castle | Mon to Sun | AR bug hunt with Lloyd — kids will absolutely love it | With Admission​

Winter Tree Sketching Course | Hever Castle | Sat, 11:30am | Cosy tree sketching workshop — fire, tea, slow creativity | £65​

Sunflowers | The Sussex Arms | Wed, 7:30pm | Chaotic punk basement gig — loud, weird, totally immersive | £9​

Dog Show | The Forum | Thurs, 7pm | Two poodles doing live techno — utterly bonkers fun | £16.50​

Wolfgang Flür | The Forum | Fri & Sat, 7:30pm | Electronic pioneer back live, real synth nostalgia night | £25​

Darius Zaltash | The Sussex Arms | Fri, 7:30pm | Loud electronic rock - proper mosh-and-feel-everything energy | £8​

The Airstreams | The Sussex Arms | Sat, 7:30pm | Local pop-punk chaos with post-punk support | £10​

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​

FURTHER OUT

Domination - The Rise And Fall Of An Empire | Assembly Hall | 23rd Feb | Alice Roberts unpacking Rome and Christianity’s tangled power story | £38​

Brutus Gold's Love Train | Assembly Hall | 28th Feb | Massive 70s disco night—dress up and dance-off chaos | £29​

Mo Gilligan - The Mo You Know | Assembly Hall | 4th Mar | Mo Gilligan bringing huge laughs — this’ll absolutely sell out | £28+​

Mothering Sunday Afternoon Tea | Penshurst Place | 15th Mar | Properly lovely Mother’s Day tea — scones and medieval vibes | £42​

The Fatboy Slim Experience | The Forum | 28th Feb | Big beat throwback night — proper 90s dance chaos | £20​

SPORT

⚽FOOTBALL

14th Feb:

• Whitstable Town 5 - 0 Rusthall

17th Feb:

• Whitstable Town vs. Tunbridge Wells
• Rusthall vs. Stansfeld

21st Feb:

• Erith & Belvedere vs. Tunbridge Wells
• Whitstable Town vs. Rusthall

🏉RUGBY

14th Feb:

• Tunbridge Wells 22 - 17 Bracknell

🏑HOCKEY

7th Feb:

• Folkestone Optimist 2 - 3 Tunbridge Wells (Women's)
• Woking 3 - 2 Tunbridge Wells (Men's)

21st Feb:

• Tunbridge Wells (Women's) vs. Blackheath & Elthamians
• Tunbridge Wells (Men's) vs. Marden Russets

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THANK YOU

Hope you enjoyed this week's letter!

Jamie

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