We’re excited to announce the launch of www.pcit.org.uk, our new website and membership programme!

At the Parkinson’s Centre for Integrated Therapy (PCIT), we provide assessments, therapies, classes, and expert advice to support those affected by Parkinson’s. Our new membership offers even more opportunities to connect with our services and resources.

If you, a friend, or a loved one might benefit from what we offer—or if you’d simply like to learn more about what we do—feel free to:

📞 Call us: 01227 824775
📧 Email us: parkinsons@kent.ac.uk
🏡 Visit us: Stop by Tanglewood for a look around or to ask any questions—we’d be delighted to chat with you!

Let’s work together to help those living with Parkinson’s and their companions and carers access the support and community they deserve.

Monday 20 January: Employability Points, goal setting and Monday Funday (Medway)

Find out more about the Employability Points scheme and how it can benefit you at this online session.

Have you set yourself goals for this year? This Study Plus goal setting workshop can give you the boost you need to achieve them.

At The Hub, Medway, you can join Monday Funday! There’s a range of activities and challenges, as well as tips and tricks for cooking, crafting and more.

Tuesday 21 January: The Big Fair, study support drop-in sessions, Covid and Flu vaccine clinic and Speed Friending (Medway)

Tuesday is Kent Students’ Union’s Big Fair! Meet new people and student groups to find your community and try something new. The Big Fair is also an opportunity to meet with landlords for off campus accommodation next year as well as a chance to chat to Jobshop about part-time work opportunities.

There’s also a Covid and Flu Vaccine Clinic at Senate on Tuesday afternoon, which is free for students who are eligible and this now includes those who live with someone who is immunosuppressed and all KMMS students. Private vaccines will be available between 14:00-15:00 at a cost.

At Medway, the Skills for Academic Success team are running drop-in sessions for quick queries such as checking references or the structure of an assignment. There’s also a Speed Friending event taking place at The Hub, where making connections is quick, easy and fun.

Wednesday 22 January: Wellbeing Wednesday activities (Medway) and January Welcome Global Hangout

At The Hub it’s Wellbeing Wednesday with mindfulness activities, therapeutic crafts and practical advice for managing stress and boosting your mood.

Come along to Darwin Conference Suite for the January Welcome Global Hangout. Open to all students, join us to meet new friends from across the University (and maybe across the world!) with music, games, crafts, food and refreshments.

Thursday 23 January: Sip and Paint and common interview questions

Enjoy a Sip and Paint event at K Bar on Thursday afternoon. Whether you’re an experienced artist or just looking to try something new, this session is all about having fun and letting your creative side shine.

Find out about common interview questions, why they are asked and how to answer them at this in-person session at Medway campus.

Friday 24 January: Volunteering info session, LGBTQ+ friendly social and Lunar New Year crafts

Interested in volunteering? Join this online session to find out how volunteering can give you valuable skills and experience, as well as where to look for volunteering opportunities.

On Friday evening there’s an LGBTQ+ friendly social is DG-02 in Templeman Library with the ResLife Ambassadors Elyse and Taylor. However you identify, come and chat to others in your community in a safe space, with hot drinks, biscuits, board games and more.

Or next door in DG-01, you can join ResLife Ambassadors Aashvi and Nehi to celebrate Lunar New Year with creative crafts. Make your own window decorations, dragon puppets, lanterns, and more, while learning about the significance of these festive traditions.

See all student events.

If you have strolled down the Parkwood path recently you may have noticed the Landscape and Grounds Team (L&G) busy in the woods.

In winter there are number of habitat management jobs the L&G team undertake to support wildlife on campus; increase the biodiversity of plant life in our woodlands; and keep the campus looking great.

During each winter season, the team carry out coppicing on the Canterbury campus as part of our woodland management plan.

The practice of coppicing can be dated back to the Stone Age and is the traditional woodland management technique of repeatedly felling trees at the base and allowing them to regrow. On campus we usually wait around 15 years for a tree to regrow before we fell it again.

We work on defined areas within our woodlands, coppicing one section each winter, then moving onto the next section a year later. This means we end up with a very diverse range of ages in our trees across our three areas of woodland – Parkwood, Brotherhood wood and Bluebell wood. This winter we are coppicing in a section of Parkwood.

Coppicing was traditionally done in order to provide a sustainable supply of timber, however this is not why we coppice at Kent. Our primary goal for coppicing is to improve the health of our trees and create additional benefits for other wildlife. Coppicing is a human intervention that somewhat simulates the act of retrenching (when trees naturally drop their branches to extend their life) which helps our trees live longer within our woodlands.

By removing sections of canopy we are also increasing the amount of light that can reach the woodland floor. This allows other species of vegetation that are dormant in the soil seed bank the chance to grow and increase the diversity of that area. This increase in vegetation increases the amount of habitat and forage opportunities for insects, birds and mammals.

When we coppice, we do not clear fell the sections, instead we ensure that very mature trees are left in place, species such as oak and ash are left, and we leave a proportion of ivy, holly and bramble to ensure there is cover and forage for other species. We also leave any newly emerging vegetation and any deadwood we find which is useful for insects.

Whilst coppicing we also take the opportunity to remove any invasive vegetation from the area and collect any litter we uncover.

This year the L&G team are also creating some dead hedges around the site. A dead hedge is a barrier made from woody cuttings, that is woven between vertical stakes. They are utilising some of the coppiced material for this.

Dead hedges are great habitat features support foraging, nesting and providing small mammals and birds somewhere to hide from predators. They are also a useful alternative to traditional fencing.

Dead hedging.

For more information on what is happening for wildlife on campus please visit our website. You can also follow along with the Landscape and Grounds Team’s work on their Instagram.

The Global and Lifelong Learning team, along with the International Student Advisory Board (ISAB), held events to bring together our (mainly) international students staying on or near campus over the winter break. 

Christmas craft and chat, 18 December  

In mid-December, students came together to create Christmas decorations and cards in Templeman Library. It was a great opportunity for students to make friends and build their network with others who were also around over the winter break. It was also a chance to embrace being creative, get in the festive mood and enjoy a free hot drink from the Library Cafe!  

New Year’s Dinner, 6 January 

Our annual New Year’s Dinner saw our international students enjoy a 2-course meal in Rutherford Dining Hall, as well as games such as Giant Jenga, Tic Tac Toe, Curling, board games and pool.

Thanks to Kent Sport for lending some of the games and to members of ISAB for helping host the event and for arranging the activities. There were plenty of laughs and smiles all round.  

It was also great to celebrate the New Year with some of Kent Students’ Union Officers and for them to hear directly about the international student experience.  

One student let us know – “I wanted to email you to tell you that the new years dinner was very nice and me and all of my flatmates that came really enjoyed it: the food quality was really good, it was all home made and fresh, and the activities were fun too :)”.

Support and events for international students 

Our next event is our January Global Hangout on Wednesday 22 January, where we continue to celebrate the New Year with a range of craft and other activities. Kent Sport will be present with many more exciting games, and there will be free food and performances from the winner of the Cultural Showcase, and even a Chinese Ribbon Dance as we head towards Lunar New Year!  Sign up for your free ticket.  

And look out for WorldFest, our celebration of cultural diversity at Kent, launching on 24 Feb 2025! 

See more support and events for international students.