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SEVEN DAYS OF SOCIAL ACTIVITIES AT A GLANCE
>> Wednesday
Mr Popper’s Penguins flaps into action today at the Assembly Hall. On until Saturday, it is the story of a poor painter, Mr Popper, who dreams of having an Antarctic adventure. One day his wish comes true courtesy of a mysterious package delivered to him… Based on the charming novel of the same name by Richard and Florence Atwater, this twice-daily stage adaptation is brought to you by the producers of We’re Going on a Bear Hunt and The Tiger Who Came to Tea. To book tickets, which cost from £9.50, and find out show times visit www.assemblyhalltheatre.co.uk
Shakespeare fans should go along to Trinity Theatre at 7pm for a live screening of Cymbeline. This rarely performed tale penned by the Bard is one of deceit, seduction and power, and sees the eponymous character ruling a divided Britain. Matters are made far worse when her daughter, Innogen, thought to be the only living heir to the throne, elopes and marries her lover, Posthumus in secret… Tickets cost £18 and can be booked at www.trinitytheatre.net. The Odeon is also showing this at 7pm with tickets priced at £20.
>> Thursday
The Pantiles Decorative and Fine Arts Society welcomes Anthea Streeter as their guest speaker at 7.30pm in the Jubilee Theatre, Holmewood House. She will be giving a free talk entitled: Thomas Heatherwick, The Leonardo of Our Times, which focuses on the work of one of Britain’s most groundbreaking and influential designers. His most famous creations include the Olympic Cauldron at the London Games in 2012 and the cool new ruby red Routemaster buses in London.
>> Friday
The World’s Biggest Coffee Morning is Macmillan’s key annual fundraiser, with events happening all over the country. There’ll be plenty going on in our area, too, at venues ranging from the Tunbridge Wells Hospital at Pembury (9am) to The Forum (10am), where the Great British Bake Off’s local hero Mat Riley will be making an appearance. On Saturday and Sunday from 3.30-5.30pm St John’s Tennis Club will be holding another of these charity events, which encourages people to get together for a chat, enjoy cake and make a donation. For more information on where you can find a coffee morning near you, please visit www.coffee.macmillan.org.uk
From 8pm there will be live jazz music at the Spa Hotel. The set will be led by the popular singer Lesley Alexander, who has performed at some of the world’s top jazz venues – including New York’s Cotton Club and Blue Note. To reserve your place, or to book dinner – served until 9.30pm – go to www.spahotel.co.uk
Popular comedienne Lucy Porter will be performing her latest show, Consequences, at Trinity Theatre from 8pm. The audience can expect a wealth of witty observations about everything from home brewing to 1990s Britpop. Tickets are £15, see Trinity’s website.
>> Saturday
The Pantiles Food Market is happening this weekend, so pay it a visit to stock up on all your regular seasonal goods, specialist ingredients and delicious oils, condiments and sauces.
Grosvenor and Hilbert Park will be hosting an Apple picking and bulb planting session today from 10.30am-3.30pm. Meet by the Oast House to participate in plucking some ripe apples, which you can then press into a refreshing bottle of juice or two. Later there will be the opportunity to help plant 4,000 crocus bulbs across the park in support of the Purple4Polio charity campaign. www.fogh.org.uk
Also celebrating all things autumnal, Ightham Mote will be putting on an apple tasting weekend, which will offer stalls with products to buy as well as the opportunity to have a stroll through its pretty orchards. The event is free but usual National Trust admissions apply. See www.nationaltrust.org.uk/ighthammote
>> Sunday
From 10am there will be a special series of Harvest Festivals happening in the Tonbridge Parish. Churches including St Peter and St Paul, St Saviour and St Andrew’s will be taking part and asking parishoners and visitors to donate goods – tea, coffee, tinned fruit and toiletries among them – to raise money and awareness for the charity Shelter.
The Tonbridge Half Marathon kicks off at 10am, so pull on your running gear and get down to the start line at West Kent College to help raise money for lots of local charities, including Tonbridge Cottage Hospital League of Friends, MIND West Kent and the Kent Surrey & Sussex Air Ambulance. See www.tonbridgehalfmarathon.co.uk
Every weekend until November 6 there will be a chance to see the exhibition Who’s Afraid of Red, Yellow and Blue? at the EM Forster Theatre in Tonbridge. Available to view from midday until 4pm, it features a trio of artists – Virginia Bodman, Julian Brown and Gill Ord – and explores the use and interpretation of colour in their work.
The Royal Tunbridge Wells Symphony Orchestra will be tuning up for its first concert of the season at the Assembly Hall at 3pm. Conductor Roderick Dunk will commence the concert with Sibelius’s Finlandia, which will be followed by Erich Korngold’s Violin Concerto played by the soloist Callum Smart.
The afternoon’s music will culminate with excerpts from Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet ballet score. To book tickets, which start at £17, visit www.assemblyhalltheatre.co.uk
>> Monday
The Creatives exhibition is on at the Trinity Gallery until the end of October. They are a group of artists who formed in 2015 to support, inspire and educate one another and share their individual artistic experiences and skills. There’s a wealth of different mediums on display in the show, including illustration, photography and jewellery-making, so there will be something to interest everyone. For more details visit www.creatives-tunbridgewells.com
>> Tuesday
Looking for a different way to spend your Tuesday evening? Why not visit the Moonlight Drive-in cinema at the Hop Farm, Paddock Wood, which is showing Mechanic: Resurrection, a crime thriller starring Jason Statham and Jessica Alba tonight and tomorrow. Tickets cost £25 per car. www.moonlightcinema.com
Jimmy Carr brings his latest show, entitled The Best Of, Ultimate, Gold, Greatest Hits Tour, to the Assembly Hall at 8pm. The comedian’s unique style of acerbic comedy has won him plenty of industry awards and top TV slots, including 8 Out of 10 Cats and Would I Lie To You?
WORTH A VISIT:
French Flea at Otford Village Memorial Hall
Saturday October 1, 10:30am-3.30pm
If you love ‘vintiquing’ and sourcing rare vintage items with a little French flair then this is the perfect fair for you. Entry costs just £1 per person, and as well as the many specialist stalls selling Gallic crockery, cushions and glassware, there will be a crêperie and café there, too.
