Medway Security Guard No1 in UK

Congratulations to Medway Security Guard Toby Owen (age 26), recently took part in The Men’s Physic Championships held in Maidenhead, where he became the new British Champion whilst also achieving his Pro Athlete card, both significant in their own right.

This natural competition celebrates the hard work and determination competitors put into achieving the very best for their body.

Toby puts his win down to hard work, complete discipline and persistence to attain the best possible results.

Toby not only has this mind-set with his sport but mirrors this in his work ethic as well. He is wished the very best for future competitions.

What’s on – Music events in December

As we enjoy the lead up to Christmas, our Music department is delighting us with a festive two weeks filled with concerts and cheer.

ALL concerts this autumn term is by ticket only (free for the Lunchtime Concerts) and tickets must be booked in advance. Here’s a few highlights of the events that we can look forward to:

University String Sinfonia – Tuesday 7 December

Directed by Florian Peycelon, the String Sinfonia in an hour-long programme including works by Rutter, Elgar and Kalinnikov. Join us at 19.00.

Chorus/Orchestra Christmas Concert – Saturday 11 December

University Chorus and Orchestra, Simon Thorpe (bass) in a seasonal programme with works by Tchaikovsky and Vaughn Williams.

Carols round the tree – Monday 13 December

Open to all staff, students and alumni, come along to the communal carols with the Brass Group on the Registry lawn at 17.00.

Big Band Christmas Swingalong! – Wednesday 15 December

Get into the swing of things and come along to the annual cracker of a gig with the Big Band conducted by Ian Swatman at 17.15.

KentVision unavailable from 3-6 December

Due to planned major system upgrades and maintenance, KentVision will be unavailable between 17.00 on Friday 3 December and 16.00 on Monday 6 December.

If you need to access your timetable during this period, we recommend you check this webpage.

You shouldn’t encounter any issues once the work is completed, but if you do, or think something doesn’t look right, please contact us via helpdesk@kent.ac.uk

We apologise for any inconvenience caused while this essential work is carried out.

Condolences for Keith Dimond

The University was very sorry to hear of the death of Keith Dimond.

Former colleague, Mohamed Sobhy writes:

‘It is with sadness that I report that my friend and colleague Keith Dimond has passed away. Keith joined the University in 1971 as lecturer in the Electronics Laboratories (now the School of Engineering). Prior to joining, Keith worked at GCHQ in Cheltenham. I remember in his interview at Kent, Keith could not give the panel some details of his work, as it was classified. Nevertheless, the panel was so impressed by Keith’s personality and knowledge and had no hesitation in offering him the post.

‘Subsequently, Keith made a vital contribution to developing the teaching and research in the department, especially on the digital side and was promoted to a Senior Lectureship in recognition of his work. Keith also made a significant contribution to the administration of The Electronics Laboratories. For 10 years, during my term as director, Keith was deputy director and his help and support were vital to the smooth running of the department. I remember in particular, his help in preparing the application to the Institution of Electrical Engineers (now IET) for accrediting the new courses. Before his retirement, Keith became Master of Keynes College again using his personality and diplomacy to run the College smoothly and effectively.

‘Throughout my knowledge of Keith, I admired his manner of dealing with people in a diplomatic and kind manner that made him respected and loved by all his colleagues and students. Keith will be sadly missed by all who knew him.’

We express our condolences to his wife Judith, his two daughters Rachel and Fiona and their families.

Festive food and drink on campus

An article by Hannah Brazier, Marketing and Commercial Services Assistant | Kent Hospitality

It’s nearly that time of the year. Christmas is coming! Gather your friends and colleagues together for a festive feast with all the trimmings.

Here are a few suggestions of where you can enjoy Christmas food and drink on campus…

Rutherford Dining Hall

Christmas Menu (6 – 16 December)

Traditional Christmas Lunch – 2 courses for £8.95 (ex VAT)
Choose from traditional roast turkey or festive nut roast with all the trimmings, followed by Christmas pudding or vegan chocolate orange torte.

To book a table, please call the dining hall on 01227 823500 or email rutherforddining@kent.ac.uk. All pre-booked groups will receive complimentary Christmas crackers.

Dolche Vita

Christmas Menu (1 – 16 December)

Chef’s Special Christmas Lunch – from £6.00
A Christmas dinner with a Dolche Vita twist. No booking required. Includes a complimentary mince pie (whilst stocks last).

Gingerbread Latte – £2.50
served with a traditional steamed milk top

Mungo’s

Christmas Menu (22 November – 16 December)

The Very Merry Mungo’s Burger – £6.80
Turkey breast topped with cranberry sauce, cheese, streaky bacon, and cheese sauce in a charcoal infused sesame seed brioche bun. Served with skinny fries.

The Christmas Club Sandwich – £6.00
Toasted triple stacked sandwich with turkey breast wrapped in streaky bacon and stuffed with chorizo, sage and paprika. Topped with cheese, tomato, lettuce, and sweet chilli mayo.

Gingerbread Latte – £3.00
served with whipped cream, cinnamon, and a mini gingerbread man

Mince Pie Milkshake – £4.00
topped with whipped cream

Gingerbread Milkshake – £3.50
topped with whipped cream (Vegan version also available)

Gulbenkian Café

Christmas Menu (15 November – 17 December)

Kentish Pigs in Blankets Mac and Cheese – £7.50
Gooey Kentish Mac and Cheese with extra little chunks of sausage wrapped in bacon.

Kentish Brie and Cranberry Croque Monsieur – £6.00
A festive take on a French classic – Brie and cranberry toasted sandwich topped with a mornay sauce and baked.

Handmade Pigs in Blankets Sausage Roll – £2.50
What do you get if you cross pigs in blankets with sausage rolls? Delicious Christmassy sausage-and bacon puff-pastry snacks.

After Eight Peppermint Hot Chocolate – £3.50
topped with whipped cream, chocolate sauce, and mini marshmallows

Baileys Hot Chocolate – £4.95
topped with whipped cream and a dusting of cocoa powder

Gingerbread Latte – £3.30
topped with whipped cream and a mini gingerbread man

Create

Christmas Drinks Menu (22 November – 16 December)

Gingerbread Latte – £3.00
topped with whipped cream, cinnamon, and a mini gingerbread man

Mint Hot Chocolate – £3.00
topped with whipped cream, chocolate sauce, and mini marshmallows

K-Bar

Christmas Cocktail Menu (29 November – 17 December)

Gingerbread Martini – £5.00
Baileys, Kaluha, and gingerbread syrup

Hot Apple Pie Cocktail – £5.00
Spiced rum, Licor 43, apple juice, whipped cream, and cinnamon

Bag It

Christmas Signature Sandwiches (6 December – 16 December)

Boxing Day Turkey & Bacon Sub – £3.90
Turkey breast, bacon, lettuce, tomato, and mayonnaise in a soft sub roll

Brie, Chestnut & Cranberry Mayo Doorstop – £3.90
Brie, chestnut, and cranberry mayo between two thick slices of bread

Vegan Christmas Panini – £3.50
Smoked Applewood vegan cheese, vegan bacon, cranberry sauce

And that’s not all! There are plenty more festive offers and promotions across campus to celebrate the season. Keep an eye out for festive drinks, cakes, and street food. Visit your nearest café, bar or restaurant to discover what’s on offer.

Download the Order Up! app and begin your festive order today

Getting started with Impact – training session

An online training session on ‘Getting started with Impact’ is taking place on 8 December from 13.00 – 14.00 . The session targets those of you who might be thinking about developing the impact dimension of your research, but who might also face challenges, including lack of time and resources and competing priorities.

The session will discuss how to start an impact, what impact looks like, how to find time, resources and deal with competing priorities, how to find partners and how to develop meaningful and sustainable partnerships.

The session will start with a panel discussion with Prof. Jennie Batchelor (School of English), Dr Kaitlyn Regehr (School of Arts), and Prof. Henrik Schoenefeldt (School of Architecture and Planning) who will share their experience.

This will be followed by a Q&A session, to discuss further the opportunities and challenges of starting with impact. In this session, impact is understood broadly, as including but as not being limited to impact as defined by the REF.

To join the meeting on 8 December at 13.00 please use this meeting link.

Canterbury Covid-19 vaccination site

Walk-ins for the Covid-19 vaccination are currently running every week day, between 9.00-16.00 at:

Sea Cadets building
Vauxhall Road,
Canterbury
CT1 1ZN

You can find more walk-in Covid-19 vaccination sites in Kent and Medway online.

Students and staff can also book online via: national booking service, or by phoning 119.

The vaccine clinic is available for anyone who needs their first, second or booster vaccine.

Now is a great time to get your vaccine before Christmas. Helping to protect your friends and family.

Parkinson’s Winter WonderWalk, 11 December

Take part in our first Winter WonderWalk to help raise money for the Parkinson’s Centre for Integrated Therapy!

How to get involved

Join us on Saturday 11 December 2021 at 13.00 for our first Winter WonderWalk. The Parkinson’s Winter WonderWalk, is a 10km sponsored walk around the beautifully historic and iconic city of Canterbury.

Suitable for everyone, the 10km circular route will start at the University of Kent and will take you through scenic routes and past renowned landmarks such as Westgate Towers and Gardens, Dane John Gardens and Mound and Canterbury Cathedral. Take a look at the Walk Guide and Route Map.

Parkinson’s Centre for Integrated Therapy

Together with the charity Parkinson’s Care and Support UK, we’re raising money to establish the Parkinson’s Centre for Integrated Therapy. If funding is secured, this centre will be based on the University of Kent’s campus and will provide its services free of charge to those with Parkinson’s disease and their carers. It is hoped that it will open in 2022.

Parkinson’s disease devastates lives and goes far beyond the tremors and rigidity that people commonly associate with the condition. Anyone can get Parkinson’s – young or old. Every hour two more people are diagnosed, which is equivalent to 18,000 people every year. 1 in 37 people alive today will be diagnosed with Parkinson’s in their lifetime and yet there is currently no cure.

A range of non-drug therapies exist which help to deal with the symptoms of this disease, including physiotherapy, exercise classes and speech and language therapy. New forms of self-administered non-invasive brain stimulation (requiring no surgery) are also becoming available including a method, pioneered by a research group here at the University of Kent, which clinical trials have shown can induce profound improvements in intellectual, motor and emotional function.

The Parkinson’s Centre for Integrated Therapy will enable all these therapies to be combined into a single, coherent care package tailored to individual need. Allied to this clinical service will be a research programme that explores the inter-dependencies between different treatments in order to allow each to be offered in the best way, as well as research to inform treatment of people with other brain injury, such as stroke and dementia.

Please consider supporting our campaign to help change the lives of those with Parkinson’s. You can also take a look at our charity Christmas cards on sale as another way to offer your support.

We look forward to you joining us on this journey to transform the future of Parkinson’s care.

Christmas Global Hangout – now a live event! 8 December

All students are welcome to join this fun and informal, face to face Global Hangout to celebrate Christmas and the holiday season.

This Global Hangout will be taking place on Wednesday 8 December, between 10.30-12.00 (UK time) in the Colyer-Fergusson Foyer (behind the Gulbenkian Cafe).

Meet new students, take part in fun activities and share what this time of year means to you. Festive refreshments will be available.

This student led event will be hosted by Dr Anthony Manning, Director & Dean for Global and Lifelong Learning at Kent and will be very much a student led event, where you can meet new friends and look forward to the holiday season.

All students are very welcome. Feel free to wear a festive themed item too!

We look forward to seeing you there!

Sign up for the Christmas Global Hangout

Industrial action by UCU members

From Professor Karen Cox | Vice-Chancellor and President

Dear Students and Colleagues,

Today is the first of three days of national strike action, and a continuing period of Action Short of a Strike, by members of the University and College Union (UCU).

Although the industrial action is about issues negotiated nationally, at the University we have been working hard to avoid the action and we continue our constructive dialogue with UCU. We are determined to minimise disruption to students and staff, and to help make the next few days and weeks as smooth as possible for us all.

I hope that you have been making use of the information for students and for staff on the website which covers the background to the action, what our position is on the various issues and what we’re doing to address them, as well as what the industrial action might mean for you. You will also be able to see the plans we have in place to keep any disruption to a minimum.

We all want what is best for Kent and all its students and staff. While we might not all share the same views on how to resolve the issues, we have been able to maintain good and constructive relations with our UCU colleagues. I hope this mutual respect is reflected throughout our University over the coming days.

We will keep you updated with any developments during the period of industrial action.

Yours sincerely,

Karen

Professor Karen Cox | Vice-Chancellor and President