Nostalgia

Packed with everything from charming stocking fillers to thoughtful big-ticket items, every item and retailer featured proudly hails from our wonderful Sevenoaks community.Take a look, find some inspiration and let’s make this a season of shopping local!  CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD: The Ultimate Gift Guide For Sevenoaks_2024 Edition  P.S. There's still time to get involved! Simply contact Steph Harrison at steph881@hotmail.com.          DOWNLOAD THE GIFT GUIDE HERE

 It’s full of fantastic images from Victorian times to the 1980s, and Matt, who runs Sevenoaks History Hub on Facebook, has brought the images to life by using memories from local people throughout.   There are lots of photos that you won’t have seen before, from the High Street and London Road, to Kippington, St John’s and Greatness, as well as Riverhead and Seal.Having written two books on Sevenoaks already, one about the men named on the town war memorial, and a companion book about Sevenoaks during the First World War, Matt started the History Hub during lockdown, initially to remember the

 Reaching 100 years of age is a rare and glorious milestone. In 2022, only 0.03% of the UK population was made up of centenarians.Extraordinarily, Rockdale's Senior Living Village is a place which SIX centenarians call home. 600 years of life – can you imagine the ways they’ve seen the world change and their stories that have unfolded over the century?Last week, we had the opportunity to sit down with Claire, who joined the 100 club in March, at Rockdale House Care Home in Sevenoaks.    What’s the secret to such a long life? Naturally, this was our first question for Claire. We’d already been

Residents at a care home in Hildenborough are enjoy the wind through their hair and the freedom of cycling, thanks to its new passenger bike.The three-wheeled cycle is pedalled by staff at Hyllden Heights on Tonbridge Road, and has a seat at the front plus a seat belt for residents’ safety. It was unveiled at a special launch event at the home where initial rides around the streets offered a taster of the adventures to come.  “I loved it, it was exhilarating!” said resident, Freda Chalis. “I can no longer ride a bike and having this wheelchair-style one means I can

If there’s one thing we’ve learnt over the years, it’s that Sevenoaks is a town brimming with stories - with its rich history, buzzing business hub and remarkable residents. Many journalists spend hours actively seeking out a good scoop. Not in Sevenoaks, everywhere we look there are incredible tales just waiting to be told.Such was the case when we visited Terry Brett, an independent living resident at Rockdale Housing Association. When we caught wind that we had a local sports hero in our midst, we couldn’t wait for the opportunity to immortalise Terry’s words into online print for our community

National figures:62% are more concerned about the welfare of older relatives and friends in winter compared with other times of the year Nearly 1 in 2 give more assistance to older loved ones during winter, particularly with shopping, social visits and household tasks  Free resources launched as care charity Greensleeves Care advises winter is opportunity to spot for growing care needs and explore longer-term solutions  South East-specific figures:48% of adults in the South East report that the level of assistance they give to older relatives and friends increases during winter, with 10% saying it ‘significantly increases’ Help with shopping,

Sarah Jane Grant is a personal stylist and shopper and a good friend of ours and the Sevenoaks community. Having overcome a life-changing event, Sarah found fashion and creativity as a way to rebuild her confidence, feel empowered and look after her own wellbeing. Colour analysis is one of her most popular services and she helps men and women to discover the correct colours for them. Now, over to Sarah to tell you more!  Colour has an amazing effect on how we feel and how we project our personality to the outside world. Sarah Jane Grant    Before we dive into colour

 Large keys carrying myth-busting messages are being placed in public spaces in Kent encouraging people to reconsider preconceptions. Campaign comes as new data from leading provider Greensleeves Care shows 93% care home residents are satisfied with their care. Three care homes in Kent (Lavender Fields in Seal, Gloucester House in Sevenoaks, and Mount Ephraim House in Tunbridge Wells) have launched Keys To Open Minds – a campaign to de-bunk common myths about life in care homes.The team and residents at Lavender Fields, Gloucester House and Mount Ephraim House are going out into the local area, placing keys in landmarks and public

Bookworms will rejoice in hearing that Sevenoaks’ very own children’s author, Jemma Hatt, has released a new book for kids to get their noses into. Just in time for the upcoming bank holidays and the school holidays ahead – music to every parent’s ears!‘Secrets at No. 6’ has just hit the shelves (and online shopping carts). If you’re fan of Jemma’s work on her award-winning mystery series, ‘The Adventurers’, then ‘Secrets at No. 6’ will not disappoint.Aimed at children between the ages of 8-12 years old, the book hits the sweet spot of being historical without being overwhelming and fast-paced

The activities team at Lavender Fields Care Home in Seal received two Greensleeves Care Awards last week: ‘Excellence in Resident Experience’ and ‘Provision of an Outstanding Activities Programme’.  The CQC-Good-rated home, which offers residential and dementia care, was commended for its thoughtful and person-centred approach to activities- in particular, its ‘Wishing Tree’ initiative.Diane Nolan, Activities Co-Ordinator, and Caroline Millen, Activities Assistant, have instilled the ‘Wishing Tree’ whereby residents write down three wishes - things they would love to do whilst at Lavender Fields - which are hung on the tree outside the home. The activities team then do their best to