This has been very successful time for Kent’s Catering Team. Not only have they won the highly sought-after Street Food Award at the 2022 U Dine Awards. But 11 of their food outlets have been presented with an Elite Food Hygiene Award too!

Here’s some more detail about each of these fantastic achievements from our catering team:

Street Food Award at U Dine Awards 2022

The awards, held at the University of Birmingham on Thursday 16 June, celebrate and recognise excellence across the university hospitality sector and are supported by the Institute of Hospitality (IoH). The awards were hosted by celebrity chef Brian Turner CBE.

The Street Food Award is an accolade which recognises on-trend, innovative street food operators. The University of Kent was presented with the award for their adaptable and dynamic street food van – The Street Kitchen.

Since its launch, The Street Kitchen has become a much-loved food destination amongst staff and students, serving delicious, grab-and-go meals at low-cost prices. The menu changes every week, meaning customers never grow bored of eating the same dishes week in week out.

Over the years, The Street Kitchen has cooked up a variety of dishes from across the globe, including South African bunny chow, Jamaican jerk chicken, Italian arancini balls, and Korean chicken burgers.

The Street Kitchen team work incredibly hard to appeal to the student demographic, keep on top of food trends, produce exciting plant-based options, and provide customers with a mouth-watering street food experience.

Keith Williams, Head of Trading, said: “It’s fantastic the University of Kent has won this award, and quite an achievement given the calibre of the competition. It’s brilliant to see the hard work, creativity, and innovation from Street Kitchen chef, Sam Ranger, recognised by the sector.

Sam will join other U Dine award winners on a 3-day insight tour into the hidden gems of Tuscany and its regional cuisine. Expect to see some incredible Italian dishes on the Street Kitchen’s menu soon!”

The three other shortlisted contenders for the Street Food Award included Newcastle University, The University of Leeds, and The University of Nottingham.

Elite Food Hygiene Awards

11 of Kent’s food outlets have been presented with an Elite Food Hygiene Award.

Scores on the Doors hands out ‘Elite’ awards to businesses who have demonstrated real consistency and care in the field of food hygiene – achieving three consecutive five-star ratings for ‘very good’ food hygiene.

The Scores on the Doors Food Hygiene Rating System helps customers choose where to eat or shop by providing clear information about a businesses’ hygiene standards.

Food Hygiene Ratings are determined at routine inspections carried out by Environmental Health Officers from the local council. The hygiene standards found on these inspections are rated to show how closely the business is meeting the requirements of food hygiene law.

Businesses who have achieved ‘Elite’ status have maintained years of exemplary hygiene standards, ensuring food is properly handled, kitchen and dining areas are clean, and food safety records are kept up to date.

David Jordan, Safety and Compliance Adviser, proudly presented Elite Food Hygiene Awards to the following outlets:

• Rutherford Dining Hall
• Bag It
• Create Café
• The Street Kitchen
• Hut 8
• Origins
• Darwin Kitchen
• Gulbenkian Café
• J’s Tea Bar
• Dolche Vita
• Mungo’s

David Jordan said, “To achieve Elite hygiene status in 11 of our catering outlets has been one of the proudest moments of my career. Over 72% of UK businesses hold a five-star hygiene rating, but only 12% have been presented with an Elite Food Hygiene Award.”

It can take more than four years to build up three sets of consecutive five-star hygiene ratings. The catering team are hopeful that both K-Bar and Sibson Café will achieve Elite status when they receive enough inspections to be eligible. Both outlets currently hold two consecutive five-star hygiene rating awards.

The Division for the study of Law, Society and Social Justice (LSSJ) Research Festival will be taking place in July.

When

• Thursday 7 July 2022 in Medway from 14.00 – 18.00 in the Rochester Boardroom
• Friday 8 July 2022 in Canterbury from 9.15 – 18.00 in Darwin Conference Suite

The content is primarily internally facing but colleagues from across the division and the wider University are warmly invited to join us at either or both campuses. Staff expenses for travel between the Canterbury and Medway campuses will be reimbursed.

You are welcome to join us for all or part of the day. To register please visit the Eventbrite website.

Draft Medway Programme:

Rochester Boardroom, Rochester Building

14.00 – 14.05: Welcome and Introduction, Dawn Lyon, Director of Research and Innovation, LSSJ and Kate Ludlow, Research and Innovation Manager, LSSJ

14.05 – 15.20: Panel: Migration and movement, with Tracee Green / Emma Soutar (CCP), Aravinda Kosaraju (KLS), Rachel Larkin, Bridget Ng’andu (SSPSSR), and Jo Warner (Chair, SSPSSR)

15.20 – 15.40: Tea and Coffee

15.40 – 17.00: Workshop: Body Mapping, led by Tara Young

17.00 – 18.00: Drinks (location TBC)

Draft Canterbury Programme:

Darwin Conference Suite, Darwin College

09.15 – 09.30: Welcome and Introduction, Dawn Lyon, Director of Research and Innovation, LSSJ and Kate Ludlow, Research and Innovation Manager, LSSJ

09.30 – 11.00: Panel: Childhood and Civil Society with Ellie Jupp, Emily Lau and Ali Body (SSPSSR), Melissa Nolas (Goldsmiths)

11.00 – 11.20: Tea and Coffee

11.20 – 12.00: Research Choices and Journeys with Miri Song (SSPSSR), and Lydia Hayes (KLS)

12.00 – 14.00: Lunch with parallel sessions

Research Exchange / Walking and Talking / PGR Speed Dating / PGR Posters / Sound Workshop / Craftivism Workshop / Sensory Research (smell/touch stall!)

14.00 – 15.15: Collaborative research: partnerships and co-production with Chrissie Rogers, Vivi Triantafyllopoulou and Serena Tomlinson (Tizard), Amanda Bates (CHSS), Darren Weir (KLS) Helen Brooks (Arts) and others TBC

15.15 – 15.35: Tea and Coffee

15.35 – 17.15: ECR Spotlights with Asta Zokaityte, Clare Williams, Flora Renz and Ida Petretta (KLS), Kayla Wicks (SSPSSR) and Jolie Keemink (PSSRU)

Meet the Author with Beth Breeze, Heejung Chung, Carolyn Pedwell (SSPSSR), and Erika Rackley, Eleanor Curran, Sheona York (KLS)

17.15 – 18.00: Drinks, Darwin Conference Suite

The E-Learning Team are pleased to announce that the next event in our series of ‘Digitally Enhanced Education webinars’ will take place on Wednesday 13 July from 14:00 – 16:30 (GMT), with the theme ‘Pedagogy and Practice when Teaching and Learning Online’

Agenda:

• 14:00 – 14:05 – Dr Phil Anthony (University of Kent): Introduction
• 14:05 – 14:20 – Dr Martin Compton (UCL): Ungrading: More possibilities than some might think
• 14:20 – 14:35 – Dr James Wood (Associate Teaching Professor at SNU): Enabling feedback-seeking, agency and uptake, through dialogic peer and teacher screencast feedback
• 14:35 – 14:50 – David White (University of the Arts London & President of ALT): Design-Research: 15 experiments in online creative education
• 14:50 – 15:05 – Dr Ellie Davison (University of Lincoln): Top Ten Tips for producing accessible, engaging video microlectures
• 15:05 – 15:15 – Break
• 15:15 – 15:30 – Dr Emma Hargreaves (University of Kent): Cocreation in curriculum design – a blended approach
• 15:30 – 15:45 – Molly Edwards (Student from UCL): Partnerships between students and staff in Higher Education
• 15:45 – 16:00 – Maria Méndez (Southbank International school): Happy students = Happy learners or Embedding wellbeing activities in our lessons (both online and presencial)
• 16:00 – 16:15 – Allison Wolfreys (Open University): Creating an audio drama for undergraduate legal education
• 16:15 – 16:30 – Assistant Professor Eliana Elkhoury (Athabasca University, Canada): A summary of the “Champions of reimagined assessment” campaign

Please share

Colleagues are very welcome to join this community and so feel free to circulate. Please ask anyone wishing to join tocomplete the Digitally Enhanced Education registration form if they haven’t already. We add them to the mailing list linked to the series, and they will receive the joining link via email on Tuesday 12 July.

If you would like to present at a future event, please submit a short synopsis and Phil Anthony will be in touch.

The legal reversal of the Roe v Wade decision in the USA has been sending shockwaves across the world.

If you have questions about this or feel emotionally affected by what has happened or its potential ramifications, please do contact the Staff Employee Assistance Programme. You can get in touch with them by phone or via their website any time of the day or night. You can be transferred to a counsellor if you wish to discuss an emotional concern. If you want advice of a more informative nature, there are Information Specialists available for you to talk with. In connection with Roe v Wade, this could be related to issues such as human rights, abortion or infertility. You simply call the usual number (0808 168 2143), ask to speak to one of the Information specialists and you will be put through. It is worth noting that the Information Specialists are available Monday to Friday, 08:00 to 20:00.

Increasing levels of COVID are leading to an increase in the number of queries about what people with symptoms or who test positive should do. Here is the Government public health guidance summarised in a University context:

• Stay home if you are unwell. If you have symptoms of a respiratory illness and either a high temperature or do not feel well enough to be at work/study, you should stay at home. You can return to on-campus work/study once your fever has gone or you feel better, even if a cough persists.
• If you have taken a private COVID-19 test and the result is positive you should self-isolate for 5 days from the date of the test whether you have symptoms or not. If you are symptom-free, work/study from home if you can. You can return to on-campus work/study after the 5 days. If you have symptoms and they last for more than 5 days, you can return to on-campus work/study once you feel better, even if a cough persists.
• If you live with or stayed overnight with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 you can continue to work and study, but you should try to limit your close contact with others, consider wearing a face covering when around other people, and wash your hands more frequently than normal.

Action Mesothelioma Day takes place on Friday 1 July this year and is designed to commemorate those who have succumbed to asbestos related diseases, and to highlight the continuing issues that exist concerning asbestos. This year, the theme is Go Blue for Meso and buildings are being lit up in blue around the UK to help raise awareness. Around 2,500 people in the UK die each year from mesothelioma, and a further similar number are believed to die from other diseases related to asbestos exposure.

To commemorate this day, the lawns and buildings around the Registry will be lit up in blue at 21:15, courtesy of the team at the Gulbenkian.

Find out more about #GoBlueforMeso and come along this Friday at 21:15 to help put a spotlight on Mesothelioma.

Following the success of last year’s virtual event, we are excited to announce that preparations are well underway for this year’s Staff Conference. We have already received some wonderful contributions, so thank you to everyone who has already submitted their ideas.

The Conference allows us to mark the start of the academic year together, providing opportunities to learn about each other’s work and giving us a chance to reflect on how we all – whether academic, professional services, technical staff, or otherwise – contribute to achieving the University’s ambitions.

The Conference will take place on campus from 15-16 September 2022 with the theme ‘Building our University Community’. On the Friday afternoon, the event will close with an all-staff barbecue, and we hope it will top off two days spent celebrating our learning and enhancing our connections with one another.

We want you to get involved!

Over the two days, we are planning numerous activities, both informative and informal, that you can choose to join in with or even run yourself. These might include:

• Seminars about projects, initiatives and activities across the University
• Talks on what it is like to work in your role at Kent
• Discussions and workshops on important topics such as wellbeing and support
• Informal events which you can take part in, either individually or as a team
• Demonstrations or tours of facilities

However, these are just suggestions – we want to make sure the Staff Conference is all about you. Whether you have been looking for a platform to share something you have been working on or want to run a workshop related to your role at Kent, we want to hear from you.

Please send an outline of your proposed sessions in 300 words or less to our Staff Conference team at communications@kent.ac.uk by Friday 8 July. We particularly want to hear how you plan to engage and interact with your audience.

We look forward to hearing your ideas soon

Emma Spiller, Education and Student Experience Manager for LSSJ at the University of Kent has completed Coppatrek with Gi in support of the breast cancer prevention charity CoppaFeel!

With ‘I’m a Celebrity winner’ and author Giovanna Fletcher leading the way, Emma and 100 fellow participants trekked 100km of the beautiful, but unforgiving Pembrokeshire coastline navigating rocky terrain and steep accents over 5 days, and 6 nights whilst camping in between treks.

Celebrity captains including Strictly Professional dancer Amy Dowden, Comedian Kiri Pritchard-McLean, Body Positive Public Figure Megan Crabbe, and Love Island contestant Sophie Piper, led the groups and kept morale high throughout the week bringing laughter, support, and dance warm ups from Amy.

All of the trekkers had been affected by breast cancer either directly or indirectly, and some had only recently finished treatment making the achievement even more inspirational.

Emma has raised £2665, and the whole group together are on track to raise the target amount of £400,000.

The money raised will go towards raising awareness to educate young people on the signs of breast cancer, and how to check themselves regularly to empower individuals to seek help and advocate for themselves should they ever need to.

Whilst undertaking the fundraising Emma connected with Kent Uni Boob society who are also doing fantastic work in fundraising for CoppaFeel! and spreading this important message to University of Kent students.