Anger at possible Lounge on the Farm closure

by James Crouch

The news that Canterbury-based music festival Lounge on the Farm could be closed has been met with anger and disappointment. Local band member Joe Strang feels that the closure would be unnecessary.

Solar energy cuts hit Canterbury

by Gijsbert van Dalen

This week the UK government announced new legislature which will be devastating for the solar panel industry in Canterbury. People will get fewer subsidies and it will also be much harder for people get government money for their solar energy.

These changes will come into force at the 12^th of December. Solar companies in Canterbury are working full time at the moment to finish as many jobs as possible before this date.

The tariff of solar power that the government pays to householders will fall from 43.3p per KWh to 21p. Besides that, houses need an energy rating of C in order to make use of the subsidies.

Geoff Meaden of the Kent Green Party doesn’t think this is a good development: “Many houses do not have proper insulation, so they won’t get any solar panels anyway.”

Howard Johns of the Cut Don’t Kill campaign told the Guardian that he agrees on cuts, but that the 50% of the current plan is too much. He thinks 4,000 companies and 25,000 jobs are in danger because of this new rules.

“If a lot of people can’t buy solar panels, of course it will reduce the sales of solar panels. And that will put an awful amount of people out of work,” says Meaden.

According to the Department of Energy and Climate Change (Decc), 9 out of 10 households don’t have this energy rating, and have to invest 5,000 pounds before they can use the subsidies.

King’s School ready to expand Recreation Centre

by Nicolas Verdier

Plans to buy and renovate the Malthouse off St Stepen’s Road, Canterbury, have been put forward by King’s School, after a deal to seel was agreed by car dealership giant Barretts .

Cervical cancer jabs down by half

by Hannah Atterbury

Half of parents in east Kent schools are failing to return consent forms allowing their daughters to have a vaccination against cervical cancer, NHS figures have revealed. 

Annaliese Woods is a Senior Lecturer of Nursing and Clinical Studies at Canterbury Christ Church University. She has been a practising nurse for 22 years and says parents and schools should be working together to ensure the future health their daughters.

Weight Watchers Vs NHS diet plans

by Rebecca Tomkins

Weight Watchers is more effective and cost savvy than NHS weight loss programmes, research has shown.

It was revealed that experts thought it would be more productive to encourage people to take classes run by commercial companies as opposed to GP counselling.

School absences increasing in Kent

by Nicole Muller

Unauthorised absences in Kent schools have reached an all-time high, according to government statistics.

Fears have been raised after new figures revealed that a staggering 15,000 pupils were missing from schools in Kent over just two terms in 2011. Authorities are now warning that the parents of persistently absent children could be fined or even prosecuted if they do not make sure they attend school regularly.

Eric Parkinson, Principal Lecturer of Primary Education at Canterbury Christ Church University, believes that fining parents will do little good, and instead more focus should be placed upon why these children are consistently absent in the first place.

Catching Lives Charity - Life is "just going to get harder" for Canterbury's homeless

by Jamie Feltham

Terry Gore, Deputy Service Manager of charity Catching Lives has called out on Canterbury’s treatment of the homeless, saying that local police have “pushed the envelope” of said treatment.

Cathedral doors get a facelift

Canterbury Cathedral’s gates have been removed for a clean up.

For over 350 years, the solid oak gates have endured weather and vehicle damage that has taken its toll on the woodwork.   On October 11, the gates which weigh nearly a ton each, were taken from their hinges by the Canterbury-based company Artful Logistics. 

City Manager speaks of litter “shame”, plans to improve in 2012

By Jamie Feltham

Canterbury’s City Manager Philippe Esclasse has expressed “shame” at the state of Canterbury’s litter problem.

Hope for students hunting for jobs

by James Crouch

Students from Canterbury Christ Church University have hope to fight against the “incredibly difficult” current situation for those searching for work when they finish their degrees.

Health food shop manager agrees with government obesity tactics

By Hannah Atterbury


A CANTERBURY health food shop manager has spoken out about the government’s latest plans against obesity. 

Does alcohol really affect our behaviour?

By Nicole Muller


Promiscuity, aggression and violence…these are just some of the undesirable traits that many describe as the effects of heavy drinking. But is alcohol really to blame?

Anthropologist Kate Fox, director of the Social Issues Research Centre, has criticized Britain’s attitudes towards drinking, claiming we believe ‘alcohol has magical powers.’ In her opinion, alcohol has little effect on an individual’s behaviour, but is in fact determined by the cultural norms and rules of the society that surrounds them.

Cricket vs Rugby – When opposites attract

By Nicolas Verdier

Cricket and rugby might seem to belong to two different worlds, but Kent Cricket and Canterbury RFC do share one thing, or more precisely one person.

New Zealand born CRFC flanker and Strength and Conditioning coach at Kent County Cricket Pete Kelly admits the difference in training when it comes to fitness is easy to notice.

He said: “In rugby you want to get bigger, faster and stronger while in cricket the skill element is much larger.

“There is quite a big difference between training in rugby and cricket but cricket players are much fitter than people would think.”

Increase in unaffordable rents in Canterbury

Made by Gijsbert van Dalen

Almost half of housing in Canterbury is unaffordable, says housing charity organization Shelter. In England 55 percent of private rents are too expensive, and in Canterbury 40 to 55 percent of private rents are rated “very unaffordable”.

“We have seen an increase in families unable to afford their private accommodation and making homelessness applications to Canterbury City Council,” Louisa Brown of Canterbury Housing Advice Centre says.

The average of private rents per month of one bedroom homes is £541 in Canterbury, that is 33 percent of the average take home pay.

This problem also hits students, as to Ewan Flack, Service Manager of the housing charity Catching Lives. "Because of the high rents in Canterbury, students are often priced out of the market."