Kent Sport asked summer members who have taken advantage of the current 50% special membership offer how it is going so far. It turns out, it’s going pretty well! 95% of recipients have rated their experience as excellent or good. 95% also said they would recommend the Kent Sport summer membership to a friend.

Here’s what they told us:

‘The price is affordable for me and the classes have not been packed so made it less daunting.’

‘Good lay out. Spacious. Well maintained. Well staffed. Excellent locker facilities. Well balanced variety of machines/weights. Friendly receptionist staff. Great air con!’

‘We have been using the gym regularly, it is very well equipped and the air conditioning is excellent. There is never a queue to use the equipment, unlike other gyms. Also the staff at reception are very friendly and helpful. All in all it offers good value for money. I will be renewing next month even though I am on holiday for some of it. I have recommended this offer to family and friends.’

Summer members particularly seem to like getting unlimited visits to all the facilities for a month. The membership offer includes access to the fitness suite, squash courts and the artificial and grass pitches. Also included is unlimited access to all fitness and dance classes, equipment hire, seven day advance bookings; and discounts on courses, personalised fitness assessments, exercise programmes and at the Kent Sport Physiotherapy Clinic.

For just £33.50 adult, or £26 for 16 to 18-year-olds or anyone in full time education, you can enjoy the sports facilities for a month this summer at the University of Kent. Come along to the Sports Centre or Pavilion reception to check out the facilities and to join.

Kent’s website has been placed in the top ten of all British university websites, ranked by digital acumen for the first time.

The research, by digital marketing specialist Bray Leino Yucca, used five sets of criteria to score UK universities, using their knowledge of Search Engine Optimisation (SEO). 18-year-old students were also asked to score every website based upon their ‘first impression’ of the visual design of the home page.

Topping the resulting table were Oxford and Cambridge, with Kent placed eighth above Edinburgh and Sheffield.

Alan Thorpe, Bray Leino Yucca’s digital and data director, said: ‘In an age where online brand is everything, the internet generation want to be proud of their choices, and feel it reflects their own personalities. If a university’s website doesn’t fit an aspiring student’s sense of identity, it is unlikely to be the first choice on their UCAS form. Key to meeting these aspirations is good quality content.’

Find out more on the Education Technology website.

We are delighted to announce the winner of the children’s script writing competition organised by Professor Ray Laurence from the Department of Classical & Archaeological Studies. Kien Powell from the Stowe School in Buckingham won the first prize of a £200 book token for his script entitled ‘Day in the Life of a Roman Client.’

The competition invited students aged 11-18 to write a script focussing on a day-in-the-life of an individual living in Rome. It was an exciting way for students to use their knowledge about Rome and its people to develop their own stories and helped with their revision.

The judges commented ‘Kien’s script was a bit more original and interesting, looking at life from the perspective of a Roman client. There is some detail in there about Roman life, walking through the market, bathing, and dining and he cites a clear reference to a literary source – Juvenal. There is a good amount of Latin in there with accompanying explanation. Well written and concise.’

65 scripts were entered into the competition from a range of schools and it is hoped the winning script may be turned into an animated film similar to those on TED.Ed. The 2nd prize of a £100 book token went to Helena Golling, from St Edmund’s School, Canterbury for ‘Life Could Be Tough in Ancient Rome’ and the 3rd prize of three £20 book tokens went to Tahirah Hussain, Imah Begum Kadir and Sadia Wahid year 8 students studying Latin at St Paul’s Way Trust School, London for ‘Salvius vs Bregens’.

The competition will run again next year and full details will be available in the Autumn on the Lucius’ Romans blog at https://blogs.kent.ac.uk/lucius-romans

The SLAS Creative Language Development (CLD) workshop is designed to give students whose first language is not English the chance to develop their speaking and listening skills. CLD creates a space for students to interact and engage with language in a unique and stimulating way. It offers opportunities to increase vocabulary and to practise pronunciation with the support of a teacher experienced in helping students to learn English effectively at any level.

CLD includes activities which take place outside the classroom (weather permitting) and this gives students the chance to explore some of the enchanting footpaths that are part of our beautiful, Canterbury campus environment. Getting outside can really provoke a different conceptual framework for engagement with the English language.

At lunchtime, participants enjoy a shared meal, which is supplied. This offers further opportunities to discuss your experiences of life in the UK, your interests and even your studies, with other people who understand the issues confronting students communicating in a language which is not their ‘mother tongue’.

The CLD workshop involves no additional coursework or preparation. The emphasis is on enjoyment and engagement with our beautiful language, explored using a variety of creative stimuli.

Astonishingly enough, this workshop is offered by SLAS absolutely free. However, you will need to visit CLD on Moodle (DP1350) enrol on the course and then book your place.

The next CLD event will take place on Wednesday 22 June in Grimond SR6 from 10.00 until 15.00. Booking is essential and can only be done via Moodle. Spaces are limited so you will need to act quickly to avoid disappointment.

Sent in by sc540@kent.ac.uk

Meet therapy dog George outside Templeman Library on Thursday 9 June from 12.00 – 14.00.

George is available to offer emotional support to students and staff.

Sent in by wellbeing@kent.ac.uk.