Yearly Archives: 2015

Staff Tennis Tournament on Saturday 30 May

This Saturday (30 May) from 13.00 to 17.00, join staff from across the University for a Singles Tennis Tournament hosted by Kent Sport.

The best part: it’s free to enter!

We’ll accommodate just about anyone, if you’d rather play doubles, can only attend for a short period of time or are a complete novice and just want to have fun – let us know.

Rackets and tennis balls will be supplied.

Contact Sports Development (sportsdevelopment@kent.ac.uk) ASAP stating your playing ability, whether it is beginner, intermediate or advanced. Ready, Set, Play!

Car Park Closures 29 May to 9 June

Giles Lane Pink and Blue Zone car parks will be closed from 23.00 on Friday 29 May and will reopen on Tuesday 9 June, for the provision of Kent Union’s Party in the Car Park.

Please remember, that it is likely that other car parks in the centre of campus may be full and we advise you to consider alternative means of transport, where possible. As per the Traffic Regulations we do not guarantee a space to park, however there is normally parking available in Park Wood Courts.

Parking enforcement will continue during the closure of Giles Lane car parks, please ensure that you continue to park in marked bays only within the car parks relevant for your permit.

Pink permit holders – can continue to use all Pink and Blue zone car parks except Giles Lane.

Blue permit holders – can continue to use all other Blue Zone car parks which will include rear of the Sports Centre, Park Wood courts, Oaks and the Pavilion

On behalf of Kent Hospitality Pavilion car park will be closed on 2 June 2015 for one day only.

Pink permit holders – can continue to use all Pink and Blue zone car parks except Giles Lane & Pavilion.

Blue permit holders – can continue to use all other Blue Zone car parks which will include rear of the Sports Centre, Park Wood courts and Oaks.

Exclusive delegate rate – Tourism Symposium – 2 June

The Tourism Society is holding the second day of its annual Tourism Symposium at the University of Kent on Tuesday 2 June.

The plenary session, to be held at the Colyer-Fergusson Music Building, will bring together industry professionals from all over the UK to connect and contribute to the big infrastructure debate.

Kent staff and students have been offered an exclusive rate of £35 per person (full rate £155). This covers the plenary as well as a ‘Taste of Kent’ lunch.

The speaker line-up comprises of leading experts from the world of tourism, arts, heritage and transport, including:

Sir Peter Bazalgette, Arts Council England
Wayne Hemingway & Eddie Kemsley, Dreamland
Hugo Fenwick, Fenwick Ltd
Sandra Matthews-Marsh MBE, Tourism Society & Visit Kent
Victoria Pomery OBE, Turner Contemporary
James Lohan MBE, Mr & Mrs Smith
Louise Dando, English Heritage
Sally Balcombe, VisitBritain
Deirdre Wells OBE, UKinbound
Usha Mistry, Lakes Culture
Nick Hall, Digital Tourism Think Tank
Steven Norris, Former MP & Transport Minister
Wendy Spinks, HS1

For the full agenda, please download the event flyer.

To book your place, please visit the Tourism Symposium website – scroll to the bottom, select ‘No’ you are not a Tourism Society Member and select University of Kent under ‘Add ticket’.

For any further information, contact Laura Evans.

Cornwallis – Essential fire alarm testing

From Monday 1 June to Friday 5 June 2015, essential fire alarm testing will be carried out in all rooms of the Cornwallis building.

Each test will last no longer than two minutes per room and will be silent testing under controlled conditions. All rooms will need to be accessed as this testing is a legal requirement. The testing will be carried out by Static Systems, the company used to carry out such work.

Due to the importance of this work your assistance in this will be very much appreciated.

We apologise for any inconvenience caused, if you have any queries please contact the Estates Helpdesk on ext 3209.

Philip Allen
Electrical Manager

Colyer Fergusson – Essential fire alarm testing

From Monday 15 June to Tuesday 16 June 2015 essential fire alarm testing will be carried out in all rooms of the Colyer Fergusson building.

Each test will last no longer than 2 minutes per room and will be silent testing under controlled conditions. All rooms will need to be accessed as this testing is a legal requirement. The testing will be carried out by Static Systems, the company used to carry out such work.

Due to the importance of this work your assistance in this will be very much appreciated.

We apologise for any inconvenience caused, if you have any queries please contact the Estates Helpdesk on ext. 3209.

Philip Allen
Electrical Manager

The Festival of English Open Lecture Series: Jane Austen

‘Jane Austen, Kent and the Curious Incident of the £10 Note’ is the title of an Open Lecture to be given by Dr Jennie Batchelor (Reader in Eighteenth Century Studies on Tuesday 2 June at 6.30pm in the Canterbury Cathedral Reading Room, Cathedral Archives and Library.

Dr Batchelor joined the School of English in 2004 after spending two years as the Chawton Postdoctoral Fellow in Women’s Writing at Chawton House Library and the University of Southampton.

She works and publishes in the long eighteenth century, focusing primarily on women’s writing, representations of gender, work, sexuality and the body, material culture studies and the eighteenth-century charity movement.

Recent publications include Women’s Work: Labour, Gender and Authorship, 1750-1830, Women and Material Culture and British Women’s Writing in the Long Eighteenth Century: Authorship, History, Politics.

Wine reception to follow. All welcome.

You can find out more at: www.kent.ac.uk/english/festivalofenglish

50th Anniversary History Projects: Exhibition and Witness Seminar

As part of the School of History’s 50th Anniversary History Projects, we are holding a Witness Seminar on the evening of Monday 8 June 2015 from 6:30-7:45pm in Grimond Lecture Theatre 1.

The seminar will take the form of a roundtable, with past and present staff and students of the University exploring some of their experiences at Kent over the years.

This event, which will launch an exhibition of our students’ work on the University’s history to date in the Aphra Foyer (Grimond Building), will be followed by a drinks reception and buffet.

For more information, please contact Dr Mark Hurst, M.R.L.Hurst@kent.ac.uk.

Changes to childcare vouchers: act now to make sure you’re in the right scheme

This autumn, the Government is launching a new tax-free childcare scheme that will provide parents with a new way to save on their childcare costs.

Staff at the University of Kent are currently able to save on their childcare costs through the Busy Bees Benefits Childcare Vouchers, and the Oaks’ Workplace Nursery Salary Sacrifice Scheme. For staff participating in Busy Bees vouchers and/or the Oaks’ scheme, the new Government initiative will provide another option which they might like to consider. If staff decide to stay in their existing scheme, they can do so.

However the Government has stated that, from autumn 2015, no one will be able to join any childcare voucher scheme other than their new tax-free childcare scheme. This means that staff won’t be able to join the Busy Bees Benefits Childcare Vouchers scheme after autumn 2015. It also means that those already receiving these vouchers won’t be able to opt out, and then opt back in after the new scheme is launched.

The Oaks’ Workplace Nursery Salary Sacrifice Scheme will not be affected: it will continue, and qualifying staff will still be able to join the scheme.

No couple will be able to be part of both Busy Bees Benefits Childcare Vouchers and the new government scheme. Your partner can’t be in a childcare voucher scheme if you are in the government scheme, and you cannot have one child in a childcare voucher scheme and another in the government scheme.

The University wants parents to have the time and opportunity to opt into the scheme that benefits them, and so has put together information which will allow staff to compare the different schemes, and the savings they could make. Which scheme is right for you will depend on your circumstances and what childcare you might need over the coming years. The “Changes to tax-free childcare/ Information for parents” guide, can be found here.

The launch date of the Government’s tax-free childcare scheme is not yet known, but it is recommended that parents act now, if they would like to join the Busy Bees Benefits Childcare Vouchers Scheme. Kent staff can join the Busy Bees Childcare Voucher scheme via the Staff Finance website.

Ingram Building – Essential fire alarm testing

From Wednesday 27 May to Friday 29 May 2015, essential fire alarm testing will be carried out in all rooms of the Ingram building.

Due to the importance of this work, your assistance in this will be very much appreciated.

We apologise for any inconvenience caused, if you have any queries please contact the Estates Helpdesk on ext 3209.

Philip Allen

Electrical Manager

EDge 2015, Thu 28 May 19.30 – Special offer £8 tickets available

Special offer £8 tickets available for EDge at Gulbenkian on Thu 28 May contact Gulbenkian Tickets and Information on 01227 769075 and quote ‘DanceNetwork’

EDge is a versatile, feisty dance company who will be performing four dramatically different dance works by internationally renowned and up-and-coming choreographers.

This mixed bill features Bank by Siobhan Davies and three new special commissions by Robert Clark, Eleesha Drennan and Itamar Serussi; brought to life by this explosive company of fresh, energetic dancers. EDge is one of the UK’s most exciting young dance companies. The postgraduate performance company of London Contemporary Dance School, EDge introduces some of the hottest new talents to the international stage.