The Moving Mug needs your support.

Tunbridge Wells council is claiming that your local coffee-shop is violating planning permissions and have requested we pay to resolve this.

We have made the council aware that our bus is in need of some vital repairs, which we’re in the process of saving up for - The council are asking for a larger sum of money than our repairs will cost. 

Without these repairs our bus is not considered road legal and therefore driving it to a new location is not an option. Trading in these next few weeks is imperative as we are a small, independent business with only three months worth of trade backing us.

During the time The Moving Mug has been in Hawkenbury it’s clear that we’ve become a hub for the local community; parents bringing their little ones for hot chocolates after school, dog walkers arranging to cross paths during their working day, groups from AXA having informal meetings upstairs, local neighbours bringing their mugs from home to save our cups, friends who arrange to meet here every Friday, delivery drivers popping in everyday on their routes and even people who have travelled long ways for funerals at the local crematorium.

 Neither of us are from Tunbridge Wells so the welcome we’ve received has been a major factor in us being able to call this town home.

It’s obvious this area needed a coffee shop as it’s been the locals who have created the atmosphere onboard. Having become so integrated into so many people’s schedules we cannot see any advantage in forcing our departure before we are ready. The coffee shop is our only source of income therefore we are not in a position to pay nor can we move. 

The owner of The Hawkenbury pub, who’s car park we’re situated on, feels as though our arrangement is mutually beneficial, however, we don’t expect The Hawkenbury to tolerate the council’s headache indefinitely.

Please sign our petition to show the council how much weight this decision holds and how much good can come from allowing us to continue trading.