Participants of the Volunteers Picnic

A longer life brings with it opportunities, however it can sometimes become challenging. At Age UK Tunbridge Wells, we exists to champion, support and encourage those living their ‘later life’ and also protect the long-term interests of future generations. We offer a range of support and services centred around the individual and designed to help improve or maintain the persons wellbeing, independence, choice and control. Services included Information and Advice, Advocacy, Day Care, Support for those living with Dementia, Home Support and Hot Lunches delivered into the community, plus many more all funded and delivered locally by local volunteers and staff.

About Aspens Charities

Aspens provides highly personalised care to children, young people and adults with disabilities, complex needs and those on the autism spectrum, with the mission of enabling the people it supports to learn new skills, live life to the full and be active members their community.

The charity provides a wide range of services including residential facilities, supported living and community outreach. Aspens’ day centres offer a huge variety of activities and resources to the people it supports, such as cooking, pottery and art classes, a sensory room, IT skills, growing vegetables and looking after the resident animals. Its ‘Acorns’ day centre in Pembury, Kent also offers a City and Guilds training programme designed to engage those who struggle with traditional classroom-based learning.

Aspens is passionate about giving the people it supports a voice in their local community and its ‘Our Voices Our Choices’ group members take part in many community initiatives and campaigns, raising awareness of issues affecting those with learning disabilities and advising the local NHS and police on a range of subjects.

CATWD is a local charity which gives free, impartial advice, mostly delivered by volunteers. Our vision is that no one in our borough suffers because of a lack of knowledge of their rights or an inability to express their needs. Our service is for everyone, but most of those we help are living with issues including disability, poor mental health, poverty, debt or relationship breakdown, and some are homeless or face eviction.

CHUMS offer specialist bereavement support to children and young people from 3 ½ to 25 years in Kent and Medway. We support those dealing with complex grief or traumatic bereavement which is having a negative impact affecting everyday life and their ability to grieve. CHUMS will offer specialist support around difficulties such as anxiety, low mood, overwhelming emotions or post traumatic symptoms related to their bereavement.

This Specialist Bereavement Service is established from a wide range of experienced, trained professionals and volunteers delivering a tailored evidence-based interventions to children and young people through 1:1, group and drop-in sessions.

The Tunbridge Wells Community Car Service has been providing services for the Elderly, Disabled and vulnerable people of Tunbridge Wells since 1992.
We provide affordable, safe, reliable transport. We take our customers to anywhere they need to travel to including all London hospitals.
We provide social inclusion events for 41 weeks of the year including, coffee mornings,
Lunch Club, Seaside days out, Befriending and Christmas lunches.
Our other services are Prescription collection, IT2U and Shop Drop.

DAVSS is a small but rapidly growing local charity, with professionally trained volunteer advisors who provide free confidential support services for anyone over 16 years, living in West Kent and experiencing domestic abuse. DAVSS aims to break the cycle of abuse and enable survivors to take control of their lives again, which also improves life opportunities for their children who are often traumatised by their experiences in an abusive household.

Tunbridge Wells Friends of the Earth is an active group of friendly people. We support national campaigns (e.g. single-use plastics, double tree cover) and organise local activities. For example, litter picking, tree planting, demonstrations, webinars, nature walks and youth panels. Now, we look forward to COP26. Let us know if you’d like to take part.

Tunbridge Wells Hospital League of Friends was formed following the merger of Pembury Hospital League of Friends and the League of Friends of Kent and Sussex Hospital in 2012.

All the members of the Council give their time and expenses voluntarily. Over the years we have raised millions of pounds and all the while members of the public generously continue to support us with donations, legacies and events, we will help to provide equipment and amenities to enhance the stay of hospital patients.

Current projects the League is supporting include an ongoing diabetes project for £250,000, Spirometry Testing Equipment at £4,700 and sofas for our Maternity unit at a cost of £1,248.

Viscountess De L’Isle of Penshurst Place is our President. The Committee, which is chaired by Gary Purdy, is enthusiastic and committed and we are involved in raising funds and telling people about the work we do. Just because we have a new hospital we must not become complacent and think that our work is finished. We still have patients and staff to consider and to help and their needs will continue. There are many ways in which to support the hospital through the League and we would be delighted to welcome volunteers to our ranks.

If you would like to join the Friends, contact our Membership Secretary, George Brand via email@friendsoftwhospital.org. We are also currently looking for more volunteers to join our friendly Council dedicated to raising money, ensuring the funds are spent wisely and spreading the word about the work we do – email us at email@friendsoftwhospital.org.

Good Neighbours – Tunbridge Wells based Christian Charity

Good Neighbours aims to reduce social isolation in the older generation. For those who are lonely or housebound, with fewer than 2 unpaid visitors a week, a regular visit from one of our trained, vetted and supported volunteers can provide a vital link to the outside world. Volunteers can also offer emotional and practical support with shopping or attending medical appointments.

Our open-air festival is set in magical locations in the award-winning gardens of Hever Castle; the Two Sisters Theatre with covered seating, the Main Lawn Stage with a view of Hever Castle, The Loggia with a view of the lake and Ann Boleyn’s Ancient Woodland Walk.
There is a huge range of live entertainment throughout the Summer; plays, family events, opera, comedy, jazz, music acts, magic and ballet.
www.heverfestival.co.uk