The Kentish Consortium #1 - Autumn 2021

The Kentish

Consortium AUTUMN 2021

Politics

ARTICLES FROM OUR LOCAL COUNCILLORS

The Haunted Past of

JOHN HIPPISLEY

Travel

WALKING FROM CANTERBURY TO ROME

TABLE OF CONTENTS Management Committee's Note

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ACADEMIC World Revolving Around Law

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Be a Boss at Failing

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Mature Student's Experience

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Psychology Placement During Covid

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Online Learning & its Effects

10

Learning in Lockdown

12

Lockdown & Me

14

Improving Your Memory with HIIT?

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The Haunted Past of John Hippisley

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LOCAL POLITICS Liberal Democrats

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Green Party

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Labour

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Poetry

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TRAVEL Pilgrim's Way

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Via Francigena

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Volunteering Opportunities

24

RELIGION

Demise of Credit Scores?

37

A Guide to Life in Canterbury

38

A Wild West Story

41

Quakers

31

SPORTS

Canterbury's Street Pastors

32

UKC's Cricket Society

43

Interview with Canterbury's Mosque

34

Bat and Trap

44

The Sikhs of Gravesend

35

Canterbury City FC

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thekentishconsortium@gmail.com Website coming soon

THE KENTISH CONSORTIUM

NOTE FROM THE MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE

Firstly, we would like to thank everybody that has supported us both financially and with their kind words of

encouragement that kept us going. We thought that we would take this opportunity to explain our ideas, aims and ambitions to our readers.

You may notice a significant amount of academic articles, this is because this idea started as a psychology blog which then became an academic student magazine. We began slowly adding sections such as politics, sport, local history, and religion.

We also brought on more people who weren’t students and it has now evolved into a magazine for all people. Our aims for the future are to; secure more funding, create an a4 size magazine for future issues, add more pages, gain more members, and organise volunteering days with our members.

We have also started a regular social gathering to which we invite anyone to join us. We are at the King's Head in Wincheap every other Friday starting from 10am until late on the 17th of September. This will be a chance for us to work on the magazine. However, we also intend for this mainly to be a chance for everyone to socialise, play games (board games/bar billiards/darts), drink tea, coffee, and beer! We welcome everyone, regardless of involvement with this magazine.

We have three main goals driving the creation of this magazine: Supporting local charities, which in this issue we have achieved by including a volunteering opportunities page, we hope to expand this section for future issues and have people write about their charities.

Provide the chance to anyone and everyone to write an article that will be published in a physical magazine and we encourage our readers to write in a response to be published if an article inspires them to do so.

Promoting local businesses through low cost advertising, without whom the printing of this magazine would not have been possible. So, we would like to thank them again here. We feel this was important even before the pandemic and now it is even more so.

Another thank you is in order to all the societies, local politicians, religious groups, students, and residents of Canterbury, who contributed articles for this first issue. We had so many that we have had to save some for the next issue! The last big thank you goes to Oliver Rutt (UKC Psychology student) for creating our logo with which we are very pleased.

We feel we may have to clear something up in regards to our politics section; it is important to note that we held no political biases in how we put this section together. We contacted all the major parties' local groups to write for us.

If you want to get more involved you can become a member or write an article for us. Becoming a member is quick, easy and there is no commitment. As a member you would be able to be as involved as you want. You can help by voting on articles to be included at our meetings, design of the magazine, communication with businesses, or social media. If you would like to write an article about anything you are interested in, contact us by email or social media.

OLIVER COOMBS - CHAIR ALIA AWAN - SECRETARY MARC HARRIS - TREASURER ALINA ŞENDREA - ADMINISTRATOR

Use this QR code to find all the references to the articles throughout

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THE KENTISH CONSORTIUM

UNIVERSITY

THE WORLD REVOLVING AROUND LAW

Whether minor or severe, there has always been consequences and these consequences can most likely offend and go against human rights. Now, if we are talking about the UK, it is more often than not that one will be saddened by the following: imprisonment, fines, rehabilitation, community service or electronic monitoring.

Compared to, the US system which can lead to death penalty in some states. Hence, many should recognise that the UK system is very much fortunate to not yet go ahead as the US. We can’t be found guilty of a crime if it wasn’t against the law when it was committed. Neither should we think that it is against human rights when we get punished for our wrongdoings, as its directly a punishment.

BY KATIE FERREIRA

The law has become something particular that many are accustomed to, except a minority of our population are unfortunately still not. Most of the times law itself has brought many issues to people themselves for undoubtedly their own mistakes.

However, the world needs law! This is a must!

I have placed it upon myself to do further studying into this and have even gone to the extent of widening my opportunities by applying to internships. Repeatedly, this has aided into my acknowledgement of telling you more why the world truly revolves around law…

On the other hand, through the Human Rights Act, one cannot be charged with a criminal offence for an action that was not a crime when you committed it. This gains access from the public to the police sector on what they have broken the law for. Not forgetting, it is also against the law for the authorities to give you a heavier punishment than what is deserved and ordered for the offence.

Moreover, it would be bold of me to state that no one commits a mistake or any wrongdoings. This is wrong. Obviously, many mistakes have been held by multiple people. Although, 50% of these mistakes do not have to be illegal or unbinding. Everyone has free will. Despite this, free will grants us with morality. This righteousness of morality is significant to our decisions, hence why do people still choose the devil over the angel? Normally, this picture should be the only image in our mind when we are decisionmaking, it should in fact be solidly concaved.

Here I will talk mainly on the importance of laws which many should already know. Abide by the law. It’s as simple as that. No more has to be said towards a person of responsibility and intuition. Surely, as normal human beings we would fulfil life solely on peace and enjoyment whilst not breaking the law… Or that’s what most of us think for the rest of us.

Would you believe 7+ billion people are not all the same? Here I will talk about: how the importance of laws rapidly turn irrelevant.

Sadly, many young fellows like to think of themselves as unruly and capable for doing anything that is wanted of them. This is the moment where this community is very much incorrect. Coming from a young person myself, I would like to elaborate on the fact that these unruly people have probably not yet had their awakening.

And by this, I relate to the fact that they perhaps have not experienced their own consequences. Let’s scrap all the legal jargon; instead let’s think collectively, more effortlessly. Police performance has highly been recorded that 68% of students have had encounters with the authorities. Obviously, as you may suspect, this is not a good signal, from just basing these statistics for the surrounding areas of Kent. Not to mention, these young people are aged between 18-24. Undeniably, this has an ongoing strain on our younger generation and places an immediate sense of fear for the rest of generations to come as what we think of our world may be changed in a short amount of time. These facts themselves should simply remind and reincarnate young people to think twice before making a mistake. As mentioned previously, once a mistake, twice a consequence!

Finally, that excels myself to go further and explain my personal perspective on the whole scenario of law and why I felt the need to write about this. I stand by the fact that law should not be shadowed or ignored. And, gradually with the progression of education and teaching, young people especially will be revealed into the world of goodness, potentially prevailing many to commit wrongdoings.

Therefore, I stand by the fact that our world is forever under development, and it can only get better. Therefore, this also gives me a motivational purpose into continuing my studies to manage law as a career and to persist with internships and additional opportunities that come my way when interconnected with Law.

Katie is a Sixth Form student at Simon Langton Girls' Grammar School and an aspiring lawyer.

Legislations are not made from nowhere, there’s always a reason for these to be made. That moves me onto my next point as to why the world basically pirouettes around the rules set by Parliament.

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THE KENTISH CONSORTIUM

UNIVERSITY

BE A BOSS AT FAILING

never does. And yes, sometimes failure at something just means that it isn’t meant for you, and you can let it go, pick yourself up and keep looking forward. Failure gives us a chance to develop our resilience.

In the past year I have failed at a fair few things, but I have also achieved more personally than in the last ten (*ahem, twenty) years put together. I have literally managed to grab my dreams firmly in my hands. And that was simply because I simply stopped being afraid to look stupid or fail. Going to university in the middle of a pandemic and becoming a full-time student at the age of 40 while still juggling two kids and a dog will do that to you. Failure has become a necessary friend to success and I have learned to embrace it. Failure has made me better and as a result I have got much better at it. Without it, the successes would have been bland, and the learning would be less painful, yes, but far less meaningful. Don’t listen to that inner bully. Switch that voice into something a little more kind, a little less critical, and learn that it is on your side – even if things go wrong.

BY SARAH BILIK

Nobody likes to fail, but I used to be spectacularly bad at it. I would fear it and dread it and avoid it and hate it when it happened. A recovering perfectionist, I still find myself with slumped shoulders for anything less than the best results, and a feeling that sits somewhere between mild panic to a thorough questioning of the entirety of my life choices.

(Dramatic, much?)

But still, ever the “looker-outer-of -the-silver-lining”, I have recently had to start getting much better at it, learn how to take it less personally, learn how to make it work for me and most importantly, take what it is teaching me.

If you could imagine failure had a voice, it would be mocking and derisive. Failure used to tell me to give up. Failure used to say, “you actually can’t do this – see?” It revelled in the humiliation. Failure wasn’t a friendly voice. It was something to be avoided. But I was missing something very important.

Simply making an attempt at something in itself is growth.

Especially something you might not be 100% confident in. It is a stretching of your comfort zone, and once stretched, that comfort zone stays bigger and broader, and means that whatever you attempt next will be easier. Failure means you have put yourself out there, been vulnerable, got into the ring, put on the gloves and tried. And for that, you have levelled up.

Failure can point to areas where you might have dropped a ball, but it doesn’t mean you aren’t good at it or you can’t do it, it simply means there’s something you need to look at and pay attention to. And this isn't restricted to just grades on coursework or exams. There are many ways to fail at life in general - both outstandingly and insignificantly. Failed at meeting a target you set yourself in revision, failed to show up on time to meet a friend, failed to reply to an email, failed to bake a cake that doesn't sink in the middle? Great. All excellent opportunities to ask yourself some questions.

Are you expecting too much of yourself? Are you spreading yourself too thin? Is this something you really do want or is there a chance you could be self-sabotaging deliberately?

Equally, it can show us how passionate we really are about our goals and our ambitions. If a failure hurts badly, that’s a good sign - we really do want it!

Failure offers us a chance for self-reflection that success

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I don’t take it personally anymore; I look at it with curiosity. What can I learn, how can this help me, and what can I let go of?

Failure. She aint so bad. Lean in, pay attention and let it compliment your successes.

Sarah is a Community Support Volunteer at The Forward Trust, BSc Psychology Student at the University of Kent, Counsellor and Emotional Wellness Coach.

THE KENTISH CONSORTIUM

UNIVERSITY

STARTING A PSYCHOLOGY DEGREE DURING COVID FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF A MATURE STUDENT

helped people where I could and this was very much reciprocated. My lack of a psychology qualification was replaced by my experiences of interacting with Psychiatrists and Clinical Psychologists and being familiar with their processes, reports and terminology.

The most difficult aspect for me was studying statistics – it had been the insurance and marketing exams I always left until the end, but was now even harder as I had to do my own programming, something which I had never done in my life before. I was definitely a fish out of water gasping for air. This subject however probably took about 40% of my time, if not more; I frequently thought my brain was going to explode with the amount of information I was taking in, but after a lot of hard work, I was rewarded by good exam results.

BY CATHERINE HINDS

Leaving school at the beginning of the 1980’s going to University was not a consideration in my family, the strong message post A level was to get a job in banking, insurance or finance and you would have a job for life.

Although this did turn out to be correct, it did at times leave me wondering whether I had missed out on an opportunity. Notwithstanding this my career progressed, supported by professional insurance qualifications into a number of Management Positions.

Being a mature student studying remotely helped me in the early days. Many of my fellow students had faced the difficulties of moving away from home onto campus to only then find themselves stuck in their rooms because of Covid restrictions. It was difficult to get to know each other. The development of a What’s App group was initially overwhelming as hundreds and hundreds of messages were flashing up 24/7. It did however quickly become apparent that young, old or in the middle we all felt the same way. We were supportive of each other and I felt able to practically contribute to this group.

With a young family in tow I took a step back in the early 2000s and found myself concentrating on an area of work which led to my initial interest in Psychology; this was handling claims from individuals who had suffered serious personal injury which frequently included a psychological element. As time progressed I occasionally considered a Psychology degree, but it was never the right time. An opportunity however occurred towards the end of my planned career to take early retirement which I seized with both hands and never looked back.

Another early highlight was the setting up of a Discord group by a fellow student which all of the Year 1 Psychology Students had access to; this provided a platform for talking, sharing, discussing information.

Initially I ignored this as I had no clue what it was, so therefore did not know I could benefit from it. Another student took the trouble to contact me and provided an introduction. This arena was perfect for discussing problems we were struggling with, which in normal times would have been resolved in smaller groups on campus.

My first year has gone by in a flash and I am so pleased with what I have achieved. Being online actually helped me settle quicker as I benefited from family support and familiarity. It was difficult navigating the technology, procedures and systems as information was being passed down at such a pace. There was a need to differentiate what was important in this sea of information, with little time to come up for air. Not having recent study skills and being considerably older than my peers, I was nervous.

Having spent the last 6 months working from home with zoom, teams and the like I was at least confident with this aspect and I found that my time management, planning and organising skills were extremely useful. I certainly took the pressure off myself by getting assignments started and completed in good time, and before multiple deadlines coincided.

In a short space of time other mature students came to light. We quickly developed a relationship which has helped us all to successfully navigate our first year.

I have demonstrated that you are never too old to study; if it interests you, go for it. You will be welcomed and can gain valuable skills from your colleagues whilst sharing your knowledge and experience with them. It is hard work and there may be tears of frustration, but there is such satisfaction when you resolve something which has been challenging you for days. Studying filled my days during the long Covid lockdowns. The first year was demanding but rewarding; I have never slept so well and am now looking forward to year 2, and when we are allowed on campus, to actually meeting some of my online friends in person.

Recalling those initial interactions with fellow students and lecturers, there wasn’t really any time to dwell on nerves. I found everyone welcoming and supportive; I

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THE KENTISH CONSORTIUM

UNIVERSITY

OLDER ADULTS PSYCHOLOGY PLACEMENT DURING COVID-19

breakout actually happened in a psychiatric ward, and as a result students were not allowed on the wards for almost 5 months. Because of the limited face-to-face service user interaction, I felt that I was not gaining enough clinical experience, even though clinical experience is any work, including remote work, with service users. At times, I even wondered if I was making the most out of my placement, or if I have just wasted a year.

BY TAI NGA CHAN (THEO)

In September 2020, I began my placement year at the Kent and Medway Partnership Trust, during which I worked with older adults with dementia. Before beginning, I was already nervous. I had no experiences with working with older adults or people with dementia, and therefore did not know what to expect. Further pressure was added by the COVID-19 pandemic, as it created lots of uncertainty about what I could actually do. I soon found myself to be very wrong.

One fantastic opportunity of this placement was being able to work in a clinical setting. I shadowed professionals in appointments, carrying out initial and neuropsychological assessments for dementia, or providing post-diagnostic support for those recently diagnosed. In some cases, I was even given the responsibility to type up patient notes.

Through these instances, I saw how different theories I learnt in lectures were applied to real life settings in the pre and post-diagnostic stages, as well as gain practical psychological knowledge that could be missed in university settings. More importantly, I was able to experience what it is like to work within the NHS and with clients, something that is not possible in a purely academic setting.

One of my most exciting, and perhaps nerve-wracking, clinical experiences is visiting a psychiatric ward for the first time. Before going in, I did not know what to expect. My knowledge of psychiatric wards only came from popular media, which was naturally very skewed. I was overwhelmed during my first visit. Staff and patients are constantly moving around, and staff had only a small space to relax This was a huge contrast to working in a community setting, which would have appointment rooms, receptions, and many more offices. Nonetheless, it was fascinating, and I was fortunate enough to visit several more times throughout my placement.

COVID-19 did mean it was not easy to have these experiences though. Older adults are a vulnerable population, so clients were encouraged to attend remote appointments. This meant it was difficult to get actual face-to-face experiences with clients, and that most of my work with service users became virtual. Additionally, clinicians had to be extra safe working with clients, limiting the number of staff in a room and following infection control guidelines. A COVID-19

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Those concerns were quickly dismissed, for throughout the year I was given various opportunities to developed my skills. Because of this placement, I have presented at national and international events, developing my confidence and public speaking skills. Since December 2020, I have been leading a research enquiry that focuses on the impact of COVID-19 on people with dementia. This is carried out by a working party consisting of volunteers, placement students, and service users, and we have never met in-person. Yet this project has been very successful, both on a personal and group level. Service users were supported by students and volunteers in IT issues such as joining meetings and receiving material, and students and volunteers learnt how to better support older adults with dementia. I also learnt and developed other skills, such as how to host and coordinate meetings, multitasking and prioritising work, and how to supervise my colleagues.

Through this project, Keith Oliver, a KMPT dementia envoy, and I even presented this research at the BPS Faculty of the Psychology of Older People Conference. This was something I never thought I could do at undergraduate level, and am extremely proud of this achievement.

The opportunities granted to me during placement were extraordinary, and when the placement ended, I didn’t want to leave. Despite limitations placed by COVID-19, I have developed a lot of transferrable skills, and completely shifted my perception on work with older adults. It has been a fantastic experience, and I am continuing my work with the KMPT as a volunteer. I highly recommend students to do a placement year, or become a volunteer in a NHS setting.

Final year Psychology student at the University of Kent If you have any questions or would like to contact me, feel free to contact me via: LinkedIn: Tai Nga Chan Email: tnc4@kent.ac.uk

THE KENTISH CONSORTIUM

UNIVERSITY

ONLINE LEARNING AND ITS EFFECT ON YOUNG PEOPLE

BY RHIAN SHILLABEER

THE move to online learning has come with a multitude of complications. The last year has been unprecedented in many ways, with each sector of society facing their own unique challenges. The conversation around mental health, on the back of this pandemic, has never been more important. The isolation many have felt, and the growing anxiety about the state of the world needs to be discussed not only so we can become better prepared for future events, but also to learn from the mistakes. Personally, the academic pressure alongside being cut off from friends and family was extremely hard to deal with. It is because of these factors that I am so outspoken in the face of continued online learning. Over the summer I have sort of become the spokesperson for the online learning situation at Kent, after my open letter to the university made its way around students. This article is my opinion and thoughts on the whole matter, from value for money to hypocrisy of institutions.

Online learning has impacted many aspects of personal wellbeing from feelings of isolation to anxiety about health and lack of social interactions. The sudden jump from normal university life, to a world where everything is based around isolation, was traumatic for many people, not just students. Students and young people in particular are often criticised for their openness and awareness surrounding mental health challenges. However, in the wake of the pandemic I believe other generations are becoming aware of just how important this conversation really is.

Awareness about mental health has really come to the foreground in light of the pandemic, however, actions speak louder than words. The mental health support that is available from the university, pre pandemic, was faulty to say the least. Students were being put on wait lists of up to a month and a half for an appointment, and often found they were not represented in the diversity of therapists and counsellors. When the pandemic hit, more mental health support was needed. However, with an already strained university service, adding to it pushes it its limit. I have worked closely with mental health student groups in my time as a Kent Union Executive, and most of the members said the same thing, students not getting help in time.

Young People aged 18–24 reported worse mental health and wellbeing during the 2020 UK lockdown.

Nearly three quarters (73%) of students said that their

mental health declined during the lockdown1.

Personally, the hardest thing about the pandemic was the isolation I felt both in terms of university and in my personal life. As aforementioned, there are a multitude of reasons that online learning can impact your mental health negatively. Sometimes, this impact is referred to as “Zoom fatigue.” Part of the reason a day full of video interactions is so mentally draining is because our brains are unable to process information in the way it’s accustomed to2. On Top of this, the abrupt mass transition to an online distance-learning model in schools, students’ home and school environments merged; residual stress from the school day knows no boundaries3. These facts highlight the importance of returning to normality as soon as safety permits. I for one would not mind wearing a mask in lecture halls, social distancing and sanitizing if it meant learning in the usual format.

On the other side of things, many pupils have expressed their gratitude for online learning. Factors such as not having to leave a comfortable environment, having more time to yourself and exams being somewhat scrapped, it can be easy to see the appeal of online learning to some. In my open letter to the university, I mentioned these factors. I believe it is not fair to continue online learning for all, to make it a compulsory requirement. International students who have been locked down in their home countries benefited massively from the move to online learning, and that's a great thing. However, I believe making it optionary, seeing the success it can have, is the better way forward as opposed to compulsory for all.

One of the biggest flaws in terms of the academic side of online learning, is that in my very first lecture, it seems I was misled. Fresh faced, 1st lecture Rhian was told that substituting catching up online, and not attending all of your lectures in person, was not adequate. Sure, the university will record our lectures for accessibility reasons and you are free to watch said recordings but do not substitute. Nothing is as good as in person teaching was the clear message.. But come March of 2020, that mantra was flipped on its head. The contradictions in national and university policy across the country are confusing at best. However, are we to blame the university for this contradiction or the government?

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I recently had a meeting with Nadine Ansorg who is the head of the POLIR department here at Kent. In this meeting I brought up this concern for hypocrisy, stating that many students, just at Kent, felt let down by the decisions of their universities. That many students felt let down by said hypocrisy, and couldn't make sense of the logic of the decision to stay online.

Nadine agreed with me and instead highlighted the failures of our national government. The fact that the national government hasn't set out guidelines for universities regarding keeping students safe, that responsibility falls into the hands of the seniors, and therefore no chances can be taken. I do understand this argument to an extent, there are no legal guidelines to follow and so the decisions taken by the university must be carefully calculated. But again, the theme of hypocrisy enters the discussion. How is remote learning keeping students safe, when those same students are mixing with their classmates in their own social time?

As we brace for the restrictions lifting, and the return to normal life, educational institutions have a decision to make regarding the return of pupils. All legal measures are gone as far as restrictions on numbers are concerned. So why has Kent decided to keep online learning going into 2021? The decision to keep students away from lecture halls, when there are no legal obligations to do so, is confusing. Don't let this be confused with an anti lockdown message, it is far from.

The move to online learning the height of the pandemic was entirely the correct choice. Keeping students safe by introducing online learning was the only way to progress with university at the time.

However, with this summer seeing events such as Wimbledon, the Euros and the Olympics, it is hard to not question the decision made by the university. If we can watch Wembley Stadium full of thousands of supporters and go to a club with the people in our lectures, to then be separated the next day, how does this make sense? It is frustrating to see other sectors of life return to normal, but not be granted in person learning, especially after young people have already sacrificed plenty.

UNIVERSITY

must think of those students, of all ages, in difficult situations. Not all students have a private study area to learn effectively in, not all students have access to the internet and not all students can separate work and home with ease. I hope, for the future, that the government of this country and the institutions within it, consider heavily their planning regarding future need for the move online. The negative, and positive, must be taken into deep consideration, if we are to learn about student behaviour and how to better the student experience as a whole.

Rhian is a 3rd year politics student at the University of Kent. We were prompted to reach out to her after reading her letter to the university, about how continuing of online teaching was unfair, made it to multiple newspapers.

To conclude, the debate surrounding the pros and cons of online learning is a complex one, and entirely individual. It's a double edged sword when it comes to mental health and academic success. The move to online learning was a completely necessary sacrifice in the safety of a global pandemic, however, how long are students expected to continue to make this sacrifice? I firmly believe that students have suffered disproportionately from online learning in a number of ways. The term students, although in this article used in reference to university level, is all encompassing. We

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THE KENTISH CONSORTIUM

SCHOOL

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LEARNING IN LOCKDOWN

"One thing I liked is that we got a longer break time - better to rest eyes" "We didn’t talk to friends a lot, they didn’t have online break time."

"Sometimes we couldn’t find the link so we missed lessons. Once a teacher didn’t post a link so we missed that lesson."

"The kids were making weird noises and off mute a lot and at home it was loud in the garden so I couldn’t think"

Thoughts on online learning from local students of a variety of ages

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11 YEARS OLD, YEAR 8

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6 YEARS OLD, YEAR 2

"She would do her science online lesson sat in the trolley"

UNIVERSITY STUDENT WWW.STUDENTROOM.CO.UK “Lecturers became lazy and didn't give us the full educational experience.”

“Unis became lazy and reliant on the covid excuse so gave us poor / no events.”

“Inconsistent penalties for breaking restrictions.”

"Frustration that millions of school kids could mix but only thousands of uni students couldn't go back or study in person."

7 YEARS OLD, YEAR 3

"I did not like it" "We had to be sitting down for 8 hours" "Harder to do at home because we had to do it ourselves and if we don't know we have to ask the teacher again but at school, we can ask the teacher and they just come "

8 YEARS OLD, YEAR 4 "We couldn’t play, not so much" "We had to do online work then after school, I went on my iPad to double screen time. Bad because eyes will hurt" "We had to learn in different rooms but sometimes we could hear my sibling's teacher- which was distracting!"

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9 YEARS OLD, YEAR 5 "Dealt with it by gaming but also experienced the downsides of it" "There are some games that completely take over your mind but then I realised I should only play games that soothe my mind like Minecraft” "Corona only happens because the world isn’t being grateful"

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13 YEARS OLD, YEAR 9 Good easy way to learn as you just had to log onto the call and you’d be there in the classroom Technical problems (teachers and students), at the beginning it was confusing to go onto the other classes It didn’t affect me as much as it probably would have for others eg people taking GCSEs

26 YEARS OLD NETWORK RAIL APPRENTICESHIP LEVEL 3 “I found studying away from home a much nicer experience as we were given our own rooms in a local hotel with room service. At the beginning all apprentices were sent home; it was quite tough not going into work whilst the rest of the team did.”

12 YEARS OLD, YEAR 8 Home school was boring because the work was boring without your mates to make it fun

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THE KENTISH CONSORTIUM

SCHOOL

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KENT UNIVERSITY STUDENT 10

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"For me, the start of the restrictions was a good thing. I was doing a foundation year at CCCU at the time and had my final deadlines cancelled which meant I was graded off the first term only. I encouraged the lockdown at the time, because of all the uncertainty regarding the virus, but also because I had done well the first term and not so well the second."

"My first term at Kent however left me feeling very isolated. I couldn’t make any friends on the course. If it weren’t for my housemates, I would have felt extremely lonely."

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CCCU MASTERS STUDENT “As a student in third year I was very disappointed with my university’s response to COVID and the actions it took to help the students. This was mainly due to doing online lectures that were poorly planned and as a result made it very difficult to pay attention. It also gave the lecturers an excuse to move scheduled inperson lectures online when they felt like it. I believe that the majority of students won’t be happy to pay £9,000 for a year where they were barely allowed on campus. I only attended the university twice in the whole year.”

LSE STUDENT, SECOND YEAR “Joining university during a pandemic is definitely something I would never expect. The addition of the lockdown, on top of the introduction to uni, was definitely a concern and worry.

Fortunately, I was able to find a friend group I could study and socialise with.

However, had I not made an effort I am sure I would feel very isolated. Luckily, I was able to socialise with people I lived with.”

CCCU GRADUATE “My final year of my degree was completed in a blended learning style which resulting in most of my learning being completed online. Personally, I found that the online lectures were not suitable for the way that I learn, and that they did not reflect the effectiveness of in-person lectures. I felt less motivated to attend and stay focused during theses sessions as it was very easy to get distracted, to lose interest, or to just leave whenever I wanted to. This led to me attending a small fraction of the sessions that I had to, which I believe made my final year harder as I had to sift through online lecture slides with very little guidance due to the apathy I had towards online ‘learning'. “

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UKC SECOND YEAR STUDENT “Unlike other people, I have found online learning to be a positive experience. It allowed me to be more proactive and discover the services the university has to offer. Having everything online allowed me to balance my time better however I feel like I do not belong to the university.

This feeling leaves me a bit lost as a big part of my identity has to do with academia.”

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THE KENTISH CONSORTIUM

PSYCHOLOGY

IMPROVING YOUR MEMORY: MODERATE EXERCISE OR HIIT?

WESLEY PYKE, PHD STUDENT IN COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE, UNIVERSITY OF KENT AMIR-HOMAYOUN JAVADI, SENIOR LECTURER IN COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE, UNIVERSITY OF KENT Advancements in medicine and medical technologies have had a significant positive impact on global life expectancy. With age being a significant risk factor for neurodegenerative diseases (e.g., Alzheimer’s disease), it is crucial that research into sustaining cognitive ability is not overlooked. There are many life habits that contribute towards healthy ageing, in particular, physical and mental well-being. It has been well established that physical exercise (PE) can help massively with healthy brain functioning and help to improve cognitive functioning1,2.

Conventionally, the majority of the underlying mechanisms of PE that contribute to these gains are believed to be due to increased blood circulation and improvement of cardiovascular fitness. Therefore, lots of research has been devoted towards establishing the most effective intensity of exercise to achieve maximal cardiovascular gains. This, however, has been recently challenged with studies showing that many other mechanisms come into action that are beyond mere blood circulation, such as increased oscillatory activity in different parts of the brain. Therefore, it is important to study underlying mechanisms of beneficial effects of PE on brain function in further detail.

Quite recently a new protocol of physical exercise has become popular: High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT).

HIIT is usually carried out in short, sharp blocks (e.g., 6 × 1 minute sprinting exercises). When comparing moderate continuous exercise (20 mins or more) and HIIT, HIIT has been shown to increase V02Max to a greater degree than moderate continuous exercise3. Considering the superior effects of HIIT on cardiovascular fitness and also the fact it can be carried out in far less time, it has grown in popularity. But, the question remains whether HIIT can provide superior gains in terms of brain function compared to moderate exercise. Also, does the intensity of the exercise determine the extent of the cognitive benefits?

Over three studies, we compared different intensities of continuous exercise (low, moderate, high) as well as a HIIT protocol to see which intervention improved long-term memory (LTM) the most. Students from the University of Kent were randomly allocated to one of the four intensities and instructed to cycle (on an exercise bike) within a predetermined heart rate zone. The results obtained

showed that across all three studies, moderate continuous exercise provided the greatest LTM benefits. Interestingly, there was no statistically significant difference between moderate and HIIT, and HIIT was not significantly better than the control group. This essentially means that whilst HIIT did improve LTM performance compared to no exercise, it did not improve it enough to reach the statistical threshold. How do we interpret these results?

And how does exercise improve memory anyway?

When partaking in exercise, the brain releases a protein 4,5 called Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) which is essential for the production and maturation of neurons (required for everything we do). BDNF has been shown to be released following both moderate intensity exercise5,6 and HIIT 7, which in turn improves performance on a longterm memory test. This previous research is in line with the current study’s findings. This means we can infer that the moderate intensity and HIIT protocols employed in our study likely improved LTM performance via increased BDNF circulation. Why then did moderate exercise provide more cognitive gains than HIIT? I could be logically assumed that exercise-BDNF release follows a linear pattern, in that, the more exertion, the higher levels of BDNF released. Whilst this may be the case, there are other variables that should be considered. When partaking in intense physical exercise, the steroid hormone cortisol is released 8,9,10 . Increased cortisol circulation has been shown to have a negative effect on memory11. Therefore, perhaps it could be inferred that moderate intensity exercise sits between two thresholds. Firstly, enough exertion is carried out to prompt the release of BDNF, aiding consolidation and thus LTM, but not enough exertion that the inhibitory stress hormone cortisol is released. Studies in the future should record both BDNF and cortisol levels during moderate and HIIT interventions.

For a more in-depth explanation of the study, please see the link below: Pyke, W.*, Ifram, F.*, Coventry, L., Sung, Y., Champion, I., & Javadi, A.-H. (2020). The effects of different protocols of physical exercise and rest on long-term memory.

Neurobiology of learning and memory, 167, 107128. doi: 10.1016/j.nlm.2019.107128

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Proven Methods

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THE KENTISH CONSORTIUM

LOCAL

THE HAUNTED PAST OF

JOHN HIPPISLEY

Working in the city of Canterbury, John Hippisley is a familiar sight by day, conducting daytime tours covering the History of Canterbury, and by Night, scaring visitors and locals alike, with his ghastly and ghoulish tales of the supernatural.

We asked John to tell us about some spooky facts within the city walls, here’s what he wrote:

I have been running ghost tours in the city since 1991 (That’s’ over 30 years) and people’s attitude to ghosts has changed over the years, when I started if you said “I see dead people all the time” people looked at you like you were mad, but now say the same thing and people will say “tell me all about it.”

When I was small I was sent away to public school, Mum dropped me off at the school gates and said “see you later!” I thought she was coming back that afternoon, but I did not see her again for 9 years.

Having sorted out that she was working overseas, I soon realised I was trapped, but conspired with my soon to be best friend Miles Parker that we should run away from the school together. Some years later the plans were all set, on a cold late November evening, I was to meet him by the school gates and we would leave at around 21:30, with the intention (however foolish) of hitching a ride to London. I stood and waited in my pyjamas at 21:30 and was still waiting at 22:30 and 23:30. Eventually at 00:00 I gave up assuming I must have misunderstood the meeting and departure time.

I headed back to the big dorm, where we all slept, and as I entered I could clearly hear Miles, as he suffered from flatulence and Apnoea, meaning he could exhale from both ends simultaneously. I realised maybe he had second thoughts on such a miserably cold night. I went to my bunk, and as soon as my head hit the pillow I was out for the count.

I was awoken by Miles whispering in my ear. “Come on we can go now” I woke to find him fully dressed standing by my bed, his rucksack in his hand, and his duffle coat pulled tight around his chubby body. I was very angry not so much for being woken from my slumbers, but the fact that he failed to tell me of a change of plans. I rather grumpily responded, “I am not going anywhere at 04:30, too bloody cold and shattered, you go and send me a Postcard!” Miles shrugged and turned leaving the dorm through the main door, his rucksack now slung over his shoulder. And that was the last time I saw him.

The next morning I got up early, had not had a good night’s sleep thanks to Miles, waking me up at 04:30. I went to

THE KENTISH CONSORTIUM

LOCAL

Chapel and then to breakfast, as I was leaving the dining hall, the headmaster saw me and said rather oddly “Where is Miles this morning?” I did not want to drop him in it so I simply said “he’s having a lie-In sir” I replied. ‘Snitches get stitches’ was something I had punched into me earlier on in my school days, the headmaster grumbled something and walked away.

Later that afternoon the whole school was asked to attend the school hall, to be addressed by Kent Police. As we gathered I could not think what they wanted with a bunch of snotty nosed children, it turned out that they told us that Miles had been killed that morning at precisely 04:30 as he was crossing Linton Hill South of Maidstone, he was killed I later found out by a drunk driver in a truck, who did not have his lights on and swerved having killed Miles and ran into a tree, where the police arrested him soon after the accident. Had I seen a Ghost? It sure sounded like I had, I was an impressionable thirteen year old boy, and who had lost his best friend. This was at a time before counselling was offered for even a grazed knee, I had to process the information, I could not tell the Headmaster what I had seen. I would have been punished for not telling the headmaster the truth that morning, so I bottle it up.

When I attended his Funeral some 8 weeks later (I obtained special permission as he was my best friend), I found out from his parents that they too had seen the same apparition, in different locations that same night, his father was on business in Manchester, his Mother was working in Bournville, in Birmingham.

Both said they heard the same words as I had done, the father called the school, and then his wife. He was told by the housemaster that all was fine and that he was aware that Miles had just had an argument with another boy (Which was me), he later found out that his son had died alone on a deserted road. I still get a shiver down my spine when I recount that time.

John has written two books about Canterbury. In 'Haunted Canterbury' (top right) he regales us with stories of the supernatural. In 'Canterbury: The Hidden City Tour' (bottom right) he shows off he encyclopaedic knowledge of the city, pointing out interesting things most people walk past everyday without knowing of them. Both of these are available for purchase on Amazon.co.uk.

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THE KENTISH CONSORTIUM

POLITICS

Cllr Nick Eden-Green Lib Dem Wincheap Ward

local issues and local people. We have a party system whereby local party members can contribute to and help form our national policies. We can give voice to local people without the straightjacket of Labour’s old doctrines or the arrogance of the Conservatives who seem to think they have the divine right to rule. Our recent victory in winning the ‘safe’ Conservative seat of Chesham & Amersham showed them that local issues do matter.

We recognise that local issues concern our daily lives far more than national ones. If your bin isn’t emptied, or you are threatened with a huge new housing development or your road is full of potholes then that is more likely to affect you than if the government builds a new Royal Yacht or puts the bank rate up by ¼%.

WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS Yes, a pretty bold statement from what is often referred to as the third party. But locally and nationally the Lib Dems really do champion what matters to people at grass roots level.

So what does this mean on the streets here? The Lib Dems used to run the council in Canterbury. We were a top rated council then – but sadly no more under the Conservatives. We have consistently campaigned for more 20mph speed limits in built up areas, stopped a waste incinerator from being built, tried to introduce no smoking in public places and a plastic bag tax long before the government introduced them. We have long argued against new out of town housing developments without the supporting infrastructure. Helped stop the downgrading of our hospital. Built a skateboard park in Thanington. Successfully campaigned against turning the water meadows into a car park. Demanded better environmental standards for all new housing years before the government even recognised we have a climate change crisis. Currently we are fighting to retain a more democratic open, listening local council.

Of course, we would never belittle big national and international issues. We were the only national party committed to staying in Europe at the referendum and remain deeply concerned about the influence Britain will now have on the European and world stage as an isolated island off the French coast. We led the charge against Labour’s disastrous backing of the Americans over Iraq.

But in essence, the Liberal Democrats are what it says on the tin. We are Liberal. We believe in open, free, honest government. We are not financed by big business, by Conservative politicians awarding their cronies lucrative deals in return for contributions to party funds. Nor are we in the thrall of the trade unions for money.

We are above all Democrats. We believe the electoral system needs reform. It is wrong that one party should have all the power with only a minority of the vote – whether nationally or locally. We are not against working with other parties for the good of the nation. We were much criticised during the coalition government but we ensured 5 years of stable government at a time of national and international financial crisis. In contrast to the unstable subsequent Conservative years under Cameron, May and Johnson.

If you care about where you live, if you care about your community, if you care about the environment, if you care about Canterbury and Kent then why not join us? You can do this at all sorts of levels. Vote for us at elections, join one of our social events, support one of our campaigns, stand as a local councillor, help deliver leaflets or campaign on the doorstep. You can make your opinions heard. You can make a change. You do have a voice and if you believe in fairness then we’d like to hear that voice.

You can contact us on www.canterburylibdems.org

Democracy is at the very heart of our party. We care about

If you care about where you live, if you care about your community, if you care about the environment, if you care about Canterbury and Kent then why not join us? You can do this at all sorts of levels. Vote for us at elections, join one of our social events, support one of our campaigns, stand as a local councillor, help deliver leaflets or campaign on the doorstep. You can make your opinions heard. You can make a change. You do have a voice and if you believe in fairness then we’d like to hear that voice. You can contact us on www.canterburylibdems.org

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THE KENTISH CONSORTIUM

POLITICS

Pat Marsh Coordinator Canterbury District Green Party

business owners on Whitstable High Street about possible pedestrianisation.

It is eight years since our members, working in the leadership of East Kent Against Fracking, ran a successful campaign which effectively led to the banning of drilling boreholes for coal bed methane extraction or fracking in the former coal mining areas in the District.

As the political wing of the green movement, Canterbury District Green Party has been active in lobbying local and county councils on a wide variety of green issues, such as recycling, homelessness, building standards and locations, as well as divestment from fossil fuels.

YOUR LOCAL GREEN PARTY Canterbury District Green Party was originally a branch of Kent Green Party but we set up as a local

Most urgently of all, we need to hold our local politicians to account on the climate emergency. So far, they have committed to various actions to reduce the carbon footprint of the local council but have lacked strong policies on how to make significant reductions in the District as a whole.

party in our own right in 2016. We currently have around 200 members.

We have a proud history of campaigning on green issues in the District, particularly on traffic and air pollution issues.

On St Valentine’s Day in 2013 we showed our love for the city of Canterbury by launching 'A Sustainable Transport Blueprint for Canterbury', which our members had been instrumental in commissioning from Dr Lynn Sloman of Transport for Quality of Life. This showed that, if we want to deal with the problems of congestion, pollution, and noise then by far the most effective (and cost-effective) way is to make it much more attractive, economical and safe to switch from cars for at least some of the journeys we currently make to walking, cycling, public transport, or a combination of these, and that it is crucial that future development should be planned to promote sustainable transport rather than car use. Sadly, very little progress has been made in advancing this aim over the last eight years with no Green Party councillors.

Many of us are doing our bit to help the environment and reduce our impact through individual action but, to really make a difference, we need Green Party representatives at all levels of government who can influence policy.

You can make that change happen by supporting your local Green Party – delivering leaflets, taking part in litterpicks, talking to your neighbours, knocking on doors and promoting Green Party candidates, even standing as a candidate yourself. The next local elections are in May 2023. That may seem a long time away, but people don't change the voting habit of a lifetime overnight. It takes months of raising awareness of who can best represent them and the needs of their communities on the local council. That means a lot of leaflets, door-knocking and local activities.

In addition, we have done air quality monitoring in Whitstable and Canterbury and highlighted the unacceptably high levels of pollution in both places. The Council has taken no action to reduce levels, even in the Air Quality Management Zones they set up several years ago. We have campaigned to ask drivers to turn off their engines when waiting at level crossings and surveyed

It’s vital that we have as many Green voices in the council chamber as possible after the next elections when decisions are being made about our future. We have very little time to take action to address the climate emergency and the problems of air pollution and biodiversity loss.

It's time to stand up and be counted. Go to our Facebook page 'Canterbury District Green Party' or our website to find out how you can make sure the political arm of the green movement has the power to influence key local government decisions.

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THE KENTISH CONSORTIUM

Cllr Dave Wilson Leader, Labour Group Barton Ward

VIEW FROM A CLIFF EDGE Our Council is running headlong into a series of calamities. Driven by a political leadership that seems intent on ignoring anyone who has a different point of view, the City Council is facing multiple challenges: a financial crisis, a shortage of affordable housing, a failing waste collection service, proposals for excessive new developments around the City, environmental disasters created by years of under-investment in sewage treatment, a series of failed property investments, and a crisis of legitimacy as the leadership tries to gather ever more power into its unaccountable grasp.

Any one of these issues might test a competent ruling Party, but together they constitute a predicament which might push Canterbury’s Tory Party, which is responsible for causing almost every one of these problems, into a meltdown.

At this stage, it doesn’t matter that all these events were preventable, foreseen or warned against by residents’ group, local campaigning organisations or the other political Parties. The problems are immediate, and they are not going to be easy to resolve. Will this Council be forced to surrender its independence and go cap in hand to the Government for a bail-out, bringing in civil servants to replace Councillors, as has happened in Croydon, Northamptonshire and, most recently, Slough?

POLITICS

It is not an exaggeration to suggest this is a real risk. If it is avoided, that will have far more to do with the skilful management of the team of financial officers working for the Council than with any Councillor.

This Council has borrowed too much on speculative property schemes. These have not only failed to generate the intended income that was their purpose, but are now worth millions less than they were bought for, or are struggling to reach completion. Whitefriars is worth a fraction of the £150 million it was bought for; the Riverside scheme is taking forever to complete and doesn’t seem to be anywhere near fully let; and the Kingsmead housing site is still moribund after the construction company went bust.

There is a pattern to all these failings. It is of decisions being pushed through against the warnings of knowledgeable people and clear market trends; of hubris, and a want of expertise, of political compliance supplanting critical thinking. Above all, it is a pattern of arrogance and unwarranted confidence on the part of a group of Tory councillors who are unwilling to listen to other views despite their track record of failure. This Council regime so lacks genuine confidence (as opposed ceaseless self-promotion) that it cannot make its arguments stand up in the court of public opinion. Instead, it has resorted to closing down all possibility of having to listen to those opinions by imposing the abolition of public committee meetings in favour of a concentration of power in the hands of just 8 or 9 of their group. Typically, rather than ask the residents whether they want this change, all they seek is approval for a decision already made.

How can we make this Council leadership listen to the people? The Liberal Democrats are aligned with Labour on this: together we will do everything we can to try to stop it happening. If we can’t, expect more grotesque and ruinous decisions taken by Tory Councillors who represent just 35% of the voters, who want to pretend they will rule for the whole district, but who are doing everything they can not to hear the voices of the people.

Footnote: if you’re concerned about the erosion of democratic decision making, there is a public consultation taking place through the Council’s website https://news.canterbury.gov.uk/consultation-item?id=1&r=39 where there is an opportunity for residents to express the view that the current system should remain in place – simply use the final “any other comments” section to make your views known.

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Poems

Jeffrey Loffman is a poet, who contacted us asking to create a poetry section for the magazine. For the next issue he plans on having a poetry competition. We will update you on this through our social media outlets and website in the near future.

THE LONG WALK HOME Walking grass brushed, hare-bells sway purple in the wind, a wilderness of peat and bilberry grit and grounded in rock sprayed by Low and High Force.

by Cauldron Snout the doomsayer who warns, “if you press on to the fall, for fall there is, fear follows.”

Scrambles sting the knee, how distances amass memories ten thousand paces today, up hills to white foam shooting over Crow’s Stones millennia in the making.

South Tees washes miles, while bees dance pollen in the sun.

Cairn Hill is a hard-breath climb, forget Orgreave? It was Tina’s crew who marketed our children’s silver to pocket gold. This earth cannot be bought or sold, we are the carers for sundew and starred bog asphodel, nurture this England, as a child in your arms, for all our tomorrows.

Jeffrey Loffman (from ‘Breath-Taking: A Geography, Lapwing 2016)

Dandelions To him they were ‘dirty lions’, manes stroked by the spearing long grass of the Veldt.

As he knelt, fisting yellow into brass, bunching bristle heads to red giants, I was older, seeing only clocks.

Where he saw the Savanna’s plain, metres were miles.

Now, he turns and smiles; lost in delight, imagining a game where prides still roam on the rocks.

Charlotte Cornell, Canterbury Poet of the Year 2020/21

WINCHESTER TO CANTERBURY ©MARK LUCAS 2021 WWW.MARKLUCAS.TODAY spent the night in the local youth hostel and next day, my solitary way continued across the River Mole and up on to Box Hill. The magnificent views from on high constantly renewed my energy levels as I traversed the hills and descended in to Merstham.

I found that when I spent longer periods on the Way, the sense of freedom from everyday worries became more apparent. One of these long stretches began at Guildford with an old friend who accompanied me as far as Dorking.

I spent the night in the local youth hostel and next day, my solitary way continued across the River Mole and up on to Box Hill. The magnificent views from on high constantly renewed my energy levels as I traversed the hills and descended in to Merstham.

So named as a route for pilgrims to travel from Winchester to Canterbury, two cathedral cities, the Pilgrim’s Way covers 141 miles across 3 counties.

What greets you soon after this is something that the early pilgrims would not have experienced: the noise of the M25.

However, they would have had to be wary of robbers lurking in the woods, so maybe it isn’t so bad? As a great lover of woodland, I delighted in the old tree lined areas that provide a cooler passage on warmer days. I also recommend keeping an eye out of for some interesting wildlife and pausing to appreciate the many vistas that will greet you.

A true pilgrim will make the journey in a single trip, often with some purpose in mind. The original penitent is said to be King Henry II after hearing of the murder of Thomas Becket, his Archbishop of Canterbury in 1170. Thomas was canonised as a martyr just three years later.

For me, the impetus was a need for some time and space to reflect on life's twists and turns in recent years. I decided to complete the walk in stages, either on single days or weekends. On a few days I enjoyed the company of friends but on most trips, I journeyed in solitude.

The first section across Hampshire follows the trail dedicated to an earlier saint with links to Winchester, Saint Swithun.

The city is a good place to explore, if you have the time, but you must head north to cross the A3 before emerging into fine countryside. The beautiful River Itchen is a wonderful addition to the scenic delights as you head east.

The village of Martyr Worthy is home to St Swithun’s Church and marks a splendid opportunity to consider the long history of the adventure that you have begun. Centuries ago, pilgrims would look to rest and find sustenance in such places. I often reflected on the progress of the many thousands of pilgrims who had gone before me over the centuries.

Further on, the town of New Alresford affords an opportunity to experience the East Hampshire Heritage Railway. Due to the long standing association with the growing of the plant in the waters of the river, it is commonly known as the Watercress Line. From Farnham, the terrain begins to present more inclines as it closely follows the North Downs Way across Surrey.

I found that when I spent longer periods on the Way, the sense of freedom from everyday worries became more apparent. One of these long stretches began at Guildford with an old friend who accompanied me as far as Dorking. I

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With the town of Westerham to your south you will cross the Greenwich Meridian which is marked by a small plaque. A few miles on the border into Kent will go by, unmarked. The change of county also brings a change in the countryside. The downland is left behind and the River Medway is bridged while traversing a more built up region.

For those with a mind to do so, an overnight stay with the Friars in Aylesford is time well spent.

The final leg gives a true impression of the attractive rural features of the county, with lovely villages, idyllic oast houses, hops, vineyards, and fruit trees to admire as Canterbury comes closer with every step. Eventually, the Cathedral spire can be seen in the distance to encourage the weary traveller.

Passing over the river and through the Westgate plunges you into the hubbub of the city. Imagine, if you will, the medieval pilgrim’s lot as you make your way into the centre. The Eastbridge Hospital is a very worthwhile halt to immerse yourself more deeply in this regard. It is but a few more yards until the Cathedral grounds are reached, and you may contemplate and celebrate your achievement. A visit to the spot where Thomas met his end would seem appropriate.

To guide you on your way, I would suggest “Exploring the Pilgrim’s Way” by Alan Charles Please visit my public Facebook page: Pilgrims Way Walk

WALKING FROM

TRAVEL

CANTERBURY TO ROME

BY MARY KIRK A walking route of 1200 miles across western Europe! How many people know that an ancient pilgrimage trail to Rome, trodden by millions in the Middle Ages, starts in Canterbury?

The Via Francigena (the Way of the Franks) crosses Kent, France, Switzerland, and Italy to the Vatican, and was declared a Cultural Route of the Council of Europe in 1994, growing in popularity since, and mirroring the enormous revival of walking pilgrimage.

Bayeux Millitary Cemetery

Laon Cathedral

It was always a major European trading route, but we know about it today thanks to the diary kept by a clerk of Archbishop Sigeric ("the Serious"), who went to Rome to collect his cloak of office as Archbishop of Canterbury in 990AD. On the way home two hand-written pages record the 80 stopping places of the Archbishop's entourage. These today are the basis of the Via Francigena.

A year or so back I was looking for a challenge. In the previous five years I had walked thousands of miles to Santiago de Compostela by different routes and was in the grips of the addiction which most walking pilgrims will recognise. I thought I'd hang my boots up after the first trek from northern France to Santiago, but I hadn't realised the craving that these

long walks induce. There is something about the steady daily plod, the rhythm - eat, sleep, walk - that teaches a type of mindfulness, a living within the moment. There is space to think to empty one’s head, and freedom to just be. There is the liberty of the open road. If you choose to use pilgrim accommodation there are shared dormitories and washing facilities, enforced closeness; there is drenching rain, burning sun, blisters, injuries, bed bugs, missed turnings and miles to return, and exhaustion. It is life in all its fullness, but maybe also one that gives a tiny, privileged, and temporary glimpse into what it is to be less fortunate.

And so, I set out one frosty, dazzling May morning from Canterbury, after a surprisingly emotional blessing in the cathedral crypt. In England the Via Francigena follows the glorious North Downs Way the 30 or so kilometres to Dover. I was unprepared for how beautiful Kent is, as I made my way across open fields, and past little villages with their lovely Romanesque churches, and down to Dover.

Because of Covid restrictions ferries now no longer take foot passengers to Calais, but when I made this trip, no-one knew a pandemic would brew. I sat on the ferry and watched the white cliffs recede in the afternoon

sunshine, as I sailed into the unknown.

There are those who say that northern France is "boring" and "flat". I can assure the potential walker it is neither. That first week, under a burning sun and the song of nightingales, I experienced perhaps the most significant and poignant moments of the entire pilgrimage. The inescapable and sombre theme was the tragedy and waste of war. Even before I had left behind the city of Arras en route for Bapaume I was passing war graves. The ages of the young men killed constantly had me in tears. They were just children. Walking into Bapaume I passed a memorial to the 1870-71 Franco-Prussian War – a reminder that France and Germany were at war three times within 70 years.

On through the cathedral cities of Arras and Laon to the crowning glories of Reims, and into champagne country, where you walk through vineyards of all the grandes marques, and many smaller ones.

One of the joys walking through France for me was staying with "host" families, often former pilgrims themselves, who offer hospitality - supper, bed, breakfast - for a small sum.

Otherwise, more and more villages and towns provide pilgrim gîtes, often basic, but cheap or free. The affluent pilgrim can, of course, book hotels or B&Bs. As you walk southeast the landscape changes and rises, and soon you cross the Jura mountains, with forests, waterfalls, rich pastures...and into Switzerland, strolling through a tiny, unmanned border crossing. A couple of days take you into the bustle of Lausanne. You can walk round Lake Geneva through terraced vineyards, but I chose - as Sigeric himself surely would have - to take a boat.

And then there is a long march up the Rhône valley which narrows as the towering Alps close in.

The Great St Bernard Pass at more than 8000 feet is both the geographical and psychological halfway point. It's not a difficult climb, but a long slog, and I was slowed by melting snow. Suddenly you are into Italy and looking down on the stunning Aosta Valley, which leads towards the misty water lands of the Po plain, dreaded by some for heat and mosquitoes, but with a quiet beauty (and easy walking) of its own.

But the mountains are not done with you. Next you cross the Apennines at the Cisa Pass,

Champagne vineyards 27

TRAVEL

Lake Geneva

The Great St Bernard Pass

Crossing the River Po

THE KENTISH CONSORTIUM

Siena

TRAVEL

glimpsing the blue Mediterranean as you look down into Tuscany. This is probably - and deservedly - the most popular part of the entire route, and suddenly you will meet many other walkers after weeks of solitude. The pilgrim could linger long in the Renaissance glories of Lucca and Siena, or the hilltop towns of San Gimignano, Monteriggioni, San Quirico d'Orcia.

The end is almost in sight as you descend into Lazio and head to Rome. I arrived in St Peter's Square at noon one Friday after a total of 75 walking days (and quite a few rest and touristy days).

It was a shock after the solitude and tranquillity of nearly three months walking, and I did not then fully appreciate its ancient splendour, but scowled and shied at the noise, traffic, and fumes.

A view of Monteriggioni

For those who maybe do not have three months I recommend a commitment to tackle it in stages...just one foot after another. This is a walk which is life changing in many ways, one which inescapably calls the pilgrim to meditate on their life, the universe and everything, and our place in these.

Lucca

Mary Kirk is secretary and assistant editor of the Confraternity of Pilgrims to Rome, an organisation that provides information and support to those making a journey to Rome along historical pilgrimage routes on foot, bicycle, or horseback. www.pilgrimstorome.org.uk

St Peter's Square

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If you are thinking of volunteering in Canterbury, please consider working with one of the organisations advertised here.

If you are an organisation who needs volunteers, send us an advert to put on this section in our next issue.

QUAKERS

THE RELIGIOUS SOCIETY OF FRIENDS The Quaker way of life is helpful every day, giving us support and adding depth to our lives.

We place emphasis upon the here and now, not on an after life.

We strive to improve our world. As such we are particularly concerned with human rights, social justice and peace, along with freedom of conscience.

Quakers try to live according to the deepest truth we know. This means speaking the truth at all times, including to people in positions of power. As we are guided by integrity, so we expect to see it in public life.

We believe God/the Spirit is in everybody so all humans have value.

We strive therefore to be non judgemental toward those with whom we are not in agreement or whose way of life is not one we would choose. Quakers value evidence and until this is forthcoming prefer not to be drawn into a for or against debate. However we do object to anything destructive or intimidating.

We are concerned about excess and waste in our society. We want to make sure our use of natural resources is sustainable and to mitigate the ravages of climate change. We try to live simply, finding space for the things that really matter, the people around us, the natural and cultural worlds; all add to our experience of stillness.

As Quakers we pursue truth in our lives, endeavouring to rely on our conscience as the bedrock of our morality whilst allowing that conscience to be guided through stillness and contemplation.

We maintain that everyone is equal in the sight of God and of humankind no matter what their age, sex, gender, ethnicity or social standing. We stress a direct sense of God/ the Divine, not pomp and ceremony. We believe all religious dogma to be a needless hindrance between the believer and their understanding of God or Divinity, so we uphold no creed.

Quaker community life lies, first and foremost, in Meeting for Worship. Here we place great emphasis upon silence/stillness.

We draw strength from each other during this time. If the Spirit prompts a Friend to speak that person will respond by standing and giving ministry for a few moments.

Having no minister, we are all asked to minister unto each other, guided by a Pastoral Care Team who ensure that we have opportunities to get to know one another and that the needs of everyone are being noticed.

"God comes to us in the midst of human need, and the most pressing needs of our time demand community in response".

We combine our faith with everyday life. Because the Divine is everywhere we are convinced it can be found in ordinary acts of kindness just as in worship.

We are perhaps best known for our peace testimony. It comes from our belief that love is at the centre of existence and that all human life is sacred. It has led some Quakers to refuse military service and we all seek to work creatively for peace. Quakers are known for their practical work in areas affected by violent conflict and for developing alternatives to violence at all levels; personal, at community level or international.

If you would like to join us at meeting to see what it is all about you would be most welcome! We meet on Sundays at 10.45am for an hour. Our Meeting House can be found in The Friars in Central Canterbury next to the Marlowe Theatre on the other side of the river. Since the pandemic we have offered the alternative of joining the meeting on Zoom. The choice is yours.

Please contact our Clerk at canterburyclerk@kentquakers.org.uk for more information.

As Quakers we are always open to new light, new understandings of truth and beauty and it is this light, spirit, which helps us live closer to God/ the Divine.

Sue Pellegrino and Terry Wood

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THE KENTISH CONSORTIUM

RELIGION

CANTERBURY STREET PASTORS INITIATIVE

We are part of the Ascension Trust, Street Pastors as an organisation, have been operating in the UK since 2003. Founded by Rev Les Isaac from south London, who saw a need in his community to look out for those in his area, offering a listening ear, a caring heart and a helping hand.

Since then, they have trained over 12,000 street and prayer pastors, who have played an active part in strengthening community life and working for safer streets. Currently, more than 240 town and cities around the UK have a Street Pastors team. When you add prayer pastors, management teams and trustees, this means that there are over 20,000 volunteers in total associated with the Street Pastors network.

There are also a growing number of Street Pastors teams overseas.

As well as serving the night-time economy, the Street Pastors model is being used in daytime and community settings, for example, in parks, schools and colleges. In 2014 they started to train experienced street pastors for the role of response pastors – volunteers who provide physical and emotional support in times of crisis.

We here in Canterbury are a part of that family that now boast over 270 teams internationally.

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We have faithfully served the streets of this wonderful city, offering a caring, listening, helping support to all those out on the streets on a Saturday night.

CANTERBURY STREET PASTORS

We were formed back in 2011, we celebrate 10 years this year!

We have faithfully served the streets of this wonderful city, offering a caring, listening, helping support to all those out on the streets on a Saturday night.

We offer Flipflops to girls who can walk in their heels at the end of the night, water to those who need rehydration. Support to those who are lost, vulnerable and those that have got separated from friends. We talk to those who need an ear or a shoulder to cry on. We are there for all walks of life. Canterbury Community Safety Partnership, chaired by the Council and Police and other agencies. There are currently around 20 willing and dedicated Christian volunteers from churches all over the area. Each volunteer receives 3-4 months training before being sent out on patrol.

They are fully uniformed members ready for most outcomes. We operate from St Andrew’s URC Church in the centre of town. We meet and pray before going out on patrol.

We are supported by a dedicated prayer team that stay at our base and support the team with prayer.

This is a much-needed support.

We are out between 10pm and 34am. We have a vibrant city with plenty of pubs and nightclubs for people to enjoy themselves. We are out there making sure everyone is safe and enjoying themselves. We liaise with the night time economy staff to help serve best the people out in the city on a Saturday.

We take a leisurely walk around the city centre. We normally would be walking to the bus station, onto Burgate, then down to the Cathedral gate, then onto the Marlowe Theatre, then to Westgate Towers, the back to base for a break. Before head up to Club Chemistry and Tokyo tea room.

Then back into town. We then may check the high street, checking in on Cuban nightclub and McDonalds. We find no two Saturdays are the same, always something going on. We follow the Lit Routes Map that is handed out to all new students that come to the city at the start of their academic year.

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“I think that Street Pastors take the church out onto the streets, which is important, as there are so many stereotypes of what a Christian is, and the belief that we judge the actions of others. By being on the streets and meeting people as they are out enjoying themselves, we can break those stereotypes and build bridges.

Jesus went out into the people and lived alongside them.

People learn that we are not there to preach or persuade them to join the faith we are just there to say hello or be a support. When we patrol, we are able to see the special moments in people’s lives, the Stag Dos, the Hen Parties, the Birthdays and family celebrations.”

CANTERBURY STREET PASTOR TEAM MEMBER

An Interview with DR. RANA AND DR. NAZ OF

We asked if anyone from the mosque wanted to contribute and were offered to meet with a couple of their members for an interview. Unfortunately, due to space we had available we have had to cut some of the discussion. However, you can listen to the full interview on our website.

DR. RANA AND DR. NAZ OF THE CANTERBURY MOSQUE

WHAT'S THE HISTORY OF THE MUSLIM COMMUNTIY IN CANTERBURY? Naz: The history of Muslims in Canterbury can be traced back to the 40s. The community came to Canterbury mainly through students. Back in the 70s when some of our senior trustees were students here they wanted to find a place they could pray. As the Muslim student population grew, a lot of the students decided to have a central place where they could meet, socialise, and share their faith. The students union of ISOC (The Islamic society at Kent) started here and they worked with the university to allocate a room.

From this, the student population grew well and so did the community as students stayed in Canterbury and surrounding areas for work. The mosque, bought in 1997, is also called the Canterbury Muslim Cultural Centre which is a charity.

WHAT STRUGGLES DO YOU THINK YOUNG MUSLIMS FACE GROWING UP IN A WESTERN COUNTRY?

Naz: I was born in this country so growing up especially in the early days, it was a struggle to identify yourself as a Muslim. I had friends from every nationality but it was always difficult explaining to them that I needed to stop to pray in the middle of doing something. I think there’s a lot more awareness of Islam now, but for some people, its more on the negative side and they never see the positives. For example, how it is all about peace, and all about trying to provide the best for everyone, regardless of faith, skin colour, or creed.

Islam is for everybody.

Rana: For my children for example (aged 17 and 21) it was hard to make good friends because my son’s friends soon reached that age where they started to go out. And I’m going to say this honestly, at a certain point they asked him “are you gay?” because he is a Muslim and he is not supposed to look or flirt with girls.

Most of the Muslim teens in this country have an identity crisis because people don’t really understand why they act in a certain way. Some hide from all the questions, some fight it, and some lose their way with Islam.

Naz: The way I explain it to my kids is like this - the first verse of the Quran revealed to the prophet was all about education. Learning and understanding the world around you. How you act, how you want to be seen.

Education is a fundamental principle.

WHAT IS THE ROLE OF WOMEN IN ISLAM?

Rana: I grew up in Egypt and my mum is an amazing person. As Muslims prophet Muhammad always emphasised the role of mothers. She is the educator of the whole community. I gave up my career from 12 years just to make sure my children were prioritised. If they had been lost this would harm the community rather than help.

Once a Muslim woman becomes a mother, this is her duty until you are secured a certain path. Being a mother doesn’t stop you from being a teacher and helping the community. I used to volunteer in my children’s school and events. Being a mother just being there is important.

One of prophet Muhammad's wives, Aisha is the best teacher and we are learning from her. It is believed that women are oppressed and not allowed to work, but you are half the community and the support for everything that is needed by the community. As a Muslim woman, if I am well educated in something, such as a language, it is my duty to teach what I have learned to others. Keeping the education to yourself is selfish. In summary, be there for your family and community and teach what you know.

IF SOMEONE WANTED TO GET MORE INVOLVED HOW WOULD THEY DO THIS?

We are fortunate to have a large student community that are always there when we need them. We have recently created a group of volunteers (under 18s) who have been very active. During the Palestinian crisis, we had a group of under 18s who were camping and raised substantial amounts of money for the cause.

As part of the charity, we have got volunteer officers who are very active in trying to find the right volunteers for every project for which we are doing at the moment. Our activities have increased and we need people on the ground so we are in the process of changing our constitution to increase committee members so we can have specialties. The women’s section is very important and we need more activities for children too. We are in need of volunteers. Most of the community donates but we need personnel on the ground too.

Email our mosque or text us and we are open to help (Muslim or non-muslim): call 01227 456345 or email email@emailaddress.co.uk

Rana: With education, you will be able to fight extremism. We have this problem where teens come and they may not be educated from their childhood about Islam and misinterpret it by taking words from the Quran out of context but you need the context to understand the whole message which is being portrayed.

Donating gift baskets to NHS workers

Our Visit to the Gurdwara in Gravesend

BY MARC HARRIS I wanted to start this article with a massive thanks to Jajdev for the warm welcome and giving us a most informative and enlightening tour of the beautiful Gurdwara at Gravesend. We were given the opportunity to understand in far greater detail the good and charitable work that the Sikh community has been doing. We were also shown how Sikhs practice their faith both inside the Gurdwara and out. We were shown around the whole temple and ended the tour in the Langar hall where we were treated to a delicious meal and tea. We all had a really good time and really appreciated the time Jajdev put into showing us around the Gurdwara.

The temple itself took eight years to complete and cost a total of £18m to build. The money was donated by the Sikh community. Many volunteers played a part in the building process, without their free labour the project could have cost in excess of £40m. The marble used to build the temple came from Rajasthan. A competition was held at a local primary school to design the stained glass windows in the main hall.

The area around the temple itself has multiple uses that are of benefit to the community such as a local football league and an elderly day centre.

Whilst we were given a tour we were taught about the Sikh faith and given the opportunity to ask many questions. We learnt many interesting things, such as: they have three pillars of their religion: make an honest living - this means unemployment and crime rates are very low remember god daily - they pray 3 times a day selfless service - they share with others and consider all people to be equal The religion started in the 1500s. Gurdwara literally translates to house of teaching. Sikhs have no formal priesthood, they instead allow anyone to lead prayers and recite scripture. The Gurdwara offers Langar which is free food to all regardless of race, religion, wealth or caste, whilst eating people sit on the floor and eat the same food to signify equality. The founder of Sikhism was Guru Nanak followed by nine other human Gurus. The tenth and last of the human Gurus enshrined the Guru Granth Sahib, which is the central religious text regarded by Sikhs, as the final and eternal Guru.

While we were eating in the Langar Hall we were asked by Jajdev to mention the Ellenor Twilight Walk that will be taking place in Gravesend on the 24th of September to raise money for the Ellenor Hospice. He also asked us to draw attention to the plight of the Farmers that are currently protesting in India.

If you wish to visit the gurdwara contact them on: visit@gurunanakdarbar.org Gurunanakdarbar.org https://ellenor.org/twilight

Do you want to advertise with us? (charities get them free!)

Email us on: thekentishconsortium@gmail.com Business card size (9X5cm): £10 Half page ad (landscape): £20 Full page (portrait): £30 Rear cover: £40 (sold for the first 4 issues)

These prices are for print ready advertisements, we can design for you however, at an additional cost of £20. ~800+ copies will be printed every quarter (4 issues per annum) distributed at the universities, shops around the city, and to homes in Canterbury. In addition to this, digital copies will be available through our social media and website.

THE KENTISH CONSORTIUM

FINANCE

THE INEVITABLE DEMISE OF CREDIT SCORES?

BY ANDREW FERREIRAPEREIRA

My friend recently asked me to borrow some money. I thought nothing of it and lent it to them as I knew they were trustworthy and would repay. But I only knew this since I personally knew them. Yet, how can a financial institution, such as a bank, lend confidently to individuals/businesses? The answer is they can’t lend with full confidence that the full repayment (plus interest, if any) will be made. They can however attempt to judge the debtor’s ability to repay using a credit score.

Credit scores, sometimes referred to as FICO scores, evaluate an individual’s creditworthiness; i.e. suitability for financial credit, by considering their financial data through a 3-digit score (0-999 for Experian/TransUnion and 0-700 for Equifax).

They are an essential aid for financial institutions since if they lend out to a majority of people that cannot make payment and default, then the bank faces bankruptcy. However, they are a business and must profit, and so being too cautious on lending money means a reduction in potential profits. So, you can see the need for a fine balance in which institutions take out enough risk to accumulate potential profits while making sure if defaults occur, they can still survive. Although, I’m sure we can agree that a reduction in profits is much preferable to insolvency. the UK, there are 3 main Credit Rating Agencies (CRAs), these are Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion. While how these 3 digits are calculated is unknown and an industry secret, we know the main factors and their weight on a credit score; as per the diagram by Experian.

Lenders will use a credit score, provided by a CRA, along with other financial details to determine if they are willing to lend to you, and if so at which interest rate. For most people, these 3-digits will determine whether they can purchase their first home or remain renting/living with their parents.

However, credit scores have been criticised for their unknown data collection/sharing methods, inaccuracies, contradictions, and having some individuals as ‘credit invisible’. According to the Federal Trades Commission (FTC), 20% of individuals have at least one error on their credit report 1. These errors can damage your credit score, cost you a more competitive interest rate, and be difficult to rectify. In addition, approximately 5.2 million people in the UK do not have a credit score/report2; that’s 7.7% of the UK’s population!

This is partly due to CRA’s data collection which has been disparaged as it does not consider rent, utility, council tax payments and other regular payments that could prove creditworthiness. While Experian has attempted to take these payments into account via their Experian Boost product, you can still argue CRAs still have a long way to go to be more inclusive.

The new solution proposed, in the US, would be a publicly run CRA within the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) that replaces the profit-driven, and privately owned CRAs. This could solve the problems mentioned above with transparent algorithms for the calculation of the credit score.

Some concerns are that the severity of the negatives on a credit report could be minimised too much. For example, reducing the time it takes for bankruptcy to fall off your credit report from 7 years to 4 years. This could send the wrong signal to debtors and make it seem like defaulting is favourable as it can be forgotten about. The launch of this publicly run CRA would undoubtedly end private-owned CRAs although it seems unlikely this type of intervention will take place, at least for now.

Fun Fact: Equifax started as a list of creditworthy people for a grocer, this list was further developed and then later sold to other merchants until it grew to what it is today!

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THE KENTISH CONSORTIUM

An excerpt from

LITERATURE

A Wild West Story by Sean De La Rey

1964, a Saturday We had just left school and were standing on the corner of a busy crossroads with me gazing fondly at our old park playground. I was thinking about the future, the first part of which was a trip into the city with a view to cruising a few dance dives. This was an entirely worryingly new thing to us.

In the first hall you had to pay to grace the floor. ‘Sod that’ a man with his hand out was told as we left. The next, was very different indeed being packed with odd looking, scarf wearing older sorts and how boys as young as we got in I will never know...

In a dark hole of a cellar, on a dirt floor, played a four piece rock group thumping out a sound so loud my jaw dropped. It all looked very strange to me. The singer had an unusual voice, sort of gravelly yet tuneful. It was the first time that I had experienced anything of the like and was deeply moved but couldn’t figure out why.

We left, ears ringing as we trudged through snow, me dawdling from time to time to look at gleaming shop windows. Of a sudden Pat said ‘Sean, I’ve got that job interview tamorra, remember?’ big sigh ‘so I’d better get home, OK?’ This was given with a measure of impatience, no, worry.

‘Sorry Pat’ I said (I’d clean forgotten). We walked on.

‘Will you come with me?’ he said quietly. I hovered pretend unsure making faces of pretend doubt. ‘Ah go on he egged, I’ll need a bit a support. Besides... you bring me luck.’

I pretend thought about it again ‘yer nervous aren’t ya’ I said.

‘No, I’m not.’

‘Yes you are.’

‘Not.’ ‘Are.’ ‘NO... I amm not.’

‘YES. YOU. BLOODY. WELL. ARE.’ The pause fell like a mammoth from a mountain. Slow then double fast with a crash at the end and he looked in shock.

‘Yyyou’re right’ he eventually said almost tearful ‘don’t ask me why for I don’t know... but what I do know... is I want this job bad. It’s ccclean work. It’s not in a factry and it’s not’ my pal stammered further ‘dddiggin’ holes like my papapoor fufufa ther.’

‘No Pat.’ ‘People will always need false teeth’ he then said (his hoped for position was as a dental technician) then stopped dead.

I looked at a non-existent wrist watch. ‘What time’s the interview?’

‘Half one.’

‘At least they had the sense to make it in the afternoon’ a grin ‘when you’ve done’ I said keenly ‘we could do the new funfare, eh?’

‘Maybe’ he said then turned to walk as another thought came into my silly head.

‘Pat… why do they call you Batman? I’ve always wondered.’

‘At me old school’ (from which he’d been expelled) he grinned ‘they call an ugly girl a bat. I was thought particularly gruesome, so as a fella...’

‘I get it’ I finished then shrugged. Don’t get me wrong, dearest but I don’t think ya look that bad.’

‘Ohh... I did then, sweetheart. I had pimples everywhere including a massive bleeper that appeared like clockwork each month on the right cheek of me bum AND I was growing so quick my trousers were always at half mast. In fact, mate I looked homemade and was mocked at every turn. It scars you, son.’ I nodded, but not in agreement. ‘I’ll call for you at twelve’ he said not looking back as he ambled away.

Well, he got the job and was asked to start that day, a request he could not refuse. I was leaving for Birmingham at the next weekend but would not know it until the Friday night.

As a result I never saw Pat again.

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THE KENTISH CONSORTIUM

UNIVERISTY SPORT

UKC's Cricket society: A society like no other

BY JOSHUA WALSH

UKC Cricket is a society like no other. And since I joined the society, I have only ever had positive experiences. My name is Joshua Walsh, and this is the story of how I joined the University of Kent Cricket Society...

In first year, during the very first week of the very first term, I made my way to the Fresher’s Fair with a few of my friends. I felt the exact same way everybody else did. I was excited. I was nervous. I was so unsure of myself in this new environment but I was also pushing myself out of my own comfort zone.

I had three societies I wished to join: the first was the Creative Writing Society as my course was Creative Writing, the second was the Live Music Society as one of my friends and I were members of a rock-band, and the third was the Cricket Society because since the age of eight, at every opportunity given to me, I have relished in the game of cricket.

Unfortunately, the very next day, I broke my wrist playing football. Not a good start.

Fast forward to third year, and once again I found myself at the Fresher’s Fair. This time, I was not a Fresher. And this time, Cricket was my absolute number one priority.

So I strode into the huge tent that housed dozens of stalls with signs and banners and eager committee members awaiting me, and I found the Cricket Society as fast as I could. This is a memory that will most likely never leave me. I remember the coach, a lovely man named Rich Durrant, standing behind the stall. He caught my eye as I approached and I remember him saying to me... “Fast bowler?” And I smiled and nodded. I’m rather tall you see. And rather tall people like me tend to be, more often than not, fast bowlers. I scribbled my name and my e-mail address on the sign-up sheet, and I left hoping that this year I would actually be able to join. And luckily, I did not break my wrist over the weekend. The Saturday after, I walked into the campus sports hall for the first time.

Two years later and it is safe to say... I am very glad I joined.

UKC Cricket is not just a society but a family and families support each other. UKC Cricket has supported me over the last two years in so many ways. For example, I’m not a very big drinker, and there are stereotypes that surround University sports clubs that to be a true member of the team, you must also be a big drinker and go to all the socials expecting to wake up in a bush the next morning. No no no. Not me. But! UKC Cricket was nothing like that! When I told my Captain that I didn’t drink after being invited to the first social. He said, and I quote...

“Does not matter Josh. Come along anyway. Some of us do drink.

Some of us don’t. Doesn’t matter.” And so I went to the socials and I sang along with the rest, and I enjoyed myself. I most definitely would have regretted not showing up to that social, or not putting my name down on that sign-up sheet. I joined UKC Cricket not knowing what to expect, and I was lucky enough to find a family.

That is what UKC Cricket is all about. We are a society for everyone.

We are a society for boys and girls, for drinkers and non-drinkers, for those who wish to play competitively and those who wish to just enjoy themselves and try something new. Cricket is a game for everyone and anyone, and so is the University of Kent Cricket Society.

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THE KENTISH CONSORTIUM

SPORT

CANTERBURY'S OWN SPORT: THE HISTORY OF BAT AND TRAP

BY JAKEY JANES

B

at and trap is identified as a fore runner of cricket, although stool ball shares the same view.

The earliest evidence of the game is said to be contained in a drawing in a monastic book from the 13th century. The site of the monastery is now occupied by the Old Beverlie pub in Canterbury. The game in its infant stages was called trap ball. The Beverlie opened for buisness in the 1740s, and it has records of the game being played there since it opened. After the 1st World War, soldiers were coming back maimed, and to help them recuperate and get fresh air and exercise they played bat and trap.

On Thursday, 22nd, September, 1922, a Mr. R. W . Humphrey, held a bat and trap meeting at the Beverlie. He was joined by team applications from the Beverlie, Westgate Wanderers, the Risers, Terriers, Old City of Canterbury, and a Ladies team. The league was founded, minus the ladies team, who were voted out by the gentlemen in attendance.

In the time of the league being founded, there was alot of stress amongst people after the 1st World War. Mental and physical well being was at a low, so the game of bat and trap would help make happier circumstances, as they were able to combine healthy exercise in the open air, with the social friendship found in the hosteleries of Canterbury. The league grew gradually each year with cup finals held on weekend nights, and attracted 200 odd people in a Canterbury pub to witness each final.

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In 1937, the Beverlie club celebrated their 113th dinner and dance evening, with 43 members in attendance. In 1940, despite a smaller attendance than usual, due to the absence of many members on war service, a spirit of optimism prevailed at the AGM. 20 teams were in attendance, and it was decided to carry on with the ancient game as far as conditions would permit.

In the event of an air raid warning being sounded, during, or just before a game , or if the game is unfinished, 1 point will be awarded to each club.

In 1940, the leagues 7 trophies were stored in the Beaney Institute in their strong room during the war. In 1951, the league made it a rule, that all clubs had to have their pitches lit by floodlights, (4 years before the football Association sanctioned their clubs). The leagues optimum was in 1982, when it was agreed 80 teams in 8 divisions was the maximum. New teams had to wait for a vacancy to join. Teams were omitted if their pitches weren't up to scratch. This led to a breakaway league in 1986, with the East Kent friendly league being founded.

Leagues have operated in our league, the Canterbury Ladies, Medway, Hoo peninsula, Sevenoaks, Tonbridge, Ashford, Maidstone and district, Dartford, Sittingbourne, Lydd and Brighton. The league has declined like other pub sports with recessions, no smoking, closure of pubs, etc. Pre-covid we were running on 31 teams plus 4 new teams coming in, with 97 teams playing in all the various leagues in Kent.

THE KENTISH CONSORTIUM

SPORT

RULES

It is eight-a-side in our league but you could play with any amount of players really. One side bats and one side bowls, you toss a coin to see who bats first.

The batsman starts by putting the ball in the trap. You hit the back of the spoon (on the trap) with the bat and that throws the ball in the air, then with the same bat you aim to hit that ball between two posts. If you don’t hit it between the posts you are out, if you don’t reach the line you are out and the bowling team can also catch you, providing they have one foot behind the line (between the posts). Also if you knock it too high - seven foot - you are also out.

Ye Old Beverlie Team, Canterbury 1926

The distance is 22 yards - it used to be 21 yards, the same as a cricket crease, but that got lowered in Canterbury because a few teams were slightly under so they reduced it for all. The bowling team then take it in turns to throw the ball back down and attempt to hit the hinged flap in front of the trap. If that goes down you are out. Each time it comes back down that is one run and the batsman stays in until someone hits the flap. You don’t actually have to run anywhere and it can be played for all ages. It is a team game but also an individual game because nobody actually passes you the ball.

Gentil Knyght B Kent cup champions 2021, their trophy is in the King's Head.

THE CURRENT SEASON

We decided to start the season on Wednesday July 14th 2021, this gave publicans a bit of time to get accustomed to the new covid rules. The 1st 2 weeks we played the fours competition, as the covid rules stated, to be in a maximum of 6 in a group. 0 teams wished to enter the league, 11 down on pre-covid. Most of the teams who did not enter this year, have said they will be back in 2022, so hopefully we wont have any casualties. Too play a normal league campaign, would have been unfair to those opting out this year, and losing their divisional status. The format we used was to put 5 teams in 4 groups. This gave all the teams 8 games. 3 points for a win, 1 for a draw. The 4 topping each group would be drawn into semi finals and then onto a final. 2nd place from each group the same all the way down to 5th place. This guarantees each team have 9 games.

The season got under way with the 2019 Canterbury and district Premiership winners Gentil Knyght B, playing 2019 Sevenoaks champions, the Blacksmiths Arms in a home and away fixture. The Gentil Knyght B won 4-0 on aggregate, to become Kent cup champions.

On Sunday 8th August, the Singles tournament was played

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at the Golden Lion. 16 players entered, with Andy Minter of the Golden Lion A beating Dave Whittaker of the Kestrels in the final to become Canterbury and Kent singles champion. The Doubles competition was won by Gentil Knyght C pair, of Dave John and Tony Jenner. They beat the Kestrels duo of Anthony and Andy Burden in the final at the Red Lion, Dunkirk.

The group stage games are now in full flow, and are past the halfway stages. Most group games are played on a Wednesday. If anyone wishes to watch a game, the pubs/clubs that are competing this year are as follows; the Alma, Painters Forstal, Red Lion, Dunkirk, Kings Head, Wincheap, Golden Lion, Broad Oak, Two Brewers, Whitstable, Whitstable Cricket club, all of these venues have 2 teams playing there so will always have a game starting at home at 8pm, if you want to come and see the game. The Evenhill, Littlebourne, Herne Bay Catholic club and the Shipwright Arms, Faversham have 1 team so every other week at home. If you wish to watch a final, the date is Friday 24th September at 8pm. 2 will be at the Red Lion, Dunkirk and 2 at the Golden Lion, Broad Oak. With the trophies and medals being awarded on the night under floodlights, we would welcome your support!

THE KENTISH CONSORTIUM

SPORT

CANTERBURY CITY FOOTBALL CLUB NEEDS YOU! RICHIE MOORE, CLUB SECRECTARY

Come along to support a real football team where community is at the heart of the club; Richie told us that the club is in desperate need of volunteers.

During the early 1970s they struggled in the Southern Division and by the early 1990s they were also in financial trouble. They returned to the Kent League and although initially doing well, they finally finished bottom in two consecutive seasons and folded.

If you can spare the time this is an opportunity to get involved with helping to keep your local football team running.

Under the management of Ben Smith/Ada Gower, and coach Darren Beale, City’s 2015/16 season produced their best league position finish since reforming, 8th, and also had their longest ever run in the FA Vase.

Why spend your hard earned money on a big team that doesn’t care about its fans when you can support your local team for £8? We had a lot of fun at the game and we think you would too.

In 2016/17, Tim Dixon joined the management team as Assistant to Ben Smith, and Darren continued as coach. A disappointing start to the season was turned around by much better form including an unbeaten run of 12 games, scoring 33 and conceding only 8. City finished 9th with 58 points, and had the 4th best defensive record in the League.

Their home ground of Kingsmead Stadium has now been re-developed for housing but the Canterbury City Council is working with the club to provide a brand new “Football Hub” in the City which it is hoped will become the football club’s home. For the 2017-18 season they played home games at Deal Town FC and finished mid-table in 10th place.

Canterbury City was revived in 2007 after folding in 200001. They were the first football club in the country to be formed as a Community Interest Company and won promotion from the Kent County League Division II (East) in their first season. They followed this by securing promotion to the Premier division in 2010/11 season after an unbeaten run and winning the Les Leckie Cup. As a community based club, we run several sides including Youths, Girls’, Disability and Walking Football.

Although for some fifty years there were various versions of a City club, it was not until 1947 that a truly representative one came about. For many years they played in the Kent League, the Southern League, and the Metropolitan League which they joined in 1958, finishing third and guaranteeing promotion to the Southern League Division One. During the 1960s City twice reached the first round of the FA Cup. In 1963-64 they lost 6-0 at home to Torquay United before a club record crowd of 3,001 and in 1968-69 they went to Swindon and, by all accounts, were unlucky to lose 1-0.

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THE KENTISH CONSORTIUM

SPORT

For 2018-19 the club played at Faversham whilst a location for a home ground continued to be worked on behind the scenes. Ben Smith led the side to a 9th placed finish but the huge positive of the campaign was a stunning FA Vase run that only ended at the semi-final stage when coming up just short to Cray Valley PM.

Canterbury City v Holland's & Blair 14/8/21

The 2019/20 was a turbulent one with Management changes followed by the Coronovirus Pandemic which declared the season null and void with just a few weeks to go. Similar happened again in 2020/21 and we go into this season looking to continue to push the club forward.

The squad has improved over the summer. It remains young with the average age coming in just over 22 years old, with all but 2 players living under a Canterbury postcode; something we feel is very important moving forward.

Overall we have been very pleased with how the squad has begun to build cohesion and understanding during preseason. There's a real togetherness beginning to build amongst the group, but still plenty of room to improve and develop our game.

We are also very excited that our new look U23 side is full of young, hungry and local players. Some of these have been handed debuts in the senior squad for preseason, with one securing himself a permanent spot in the first team after a string of impressive performances.

Our long term aim is to provide pathways for young local talent to break all the way through to senior football and represent the senior football club in the City.

A design for the Canterbury City FC stadium from 2019

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