Sam Francis
IN the 1960’s Margate was known as the place to buy rock and kiss-me-quick hats, but, recently, Margate has been struggling to make an income.Margate locals are still enthusiastic for the redevelopment of Margate, one local said, “Margate may have lost it’s shine but we will get it back, where else can you live in a block of flats with a view of the sea.”
With the redevelopment in mind, Brian Hawkings has tried to help out the locals of Margate. He hopes that the shake up will change the way that people perceive the once bustling town.
Leslie van Ruyskensvelde
MILLIONS of people across the UK marked two powerful anniversaries of national remembrance by observing two-minute silence at 11h on Thursday.Crowds gathered around the nation, some to grieve, some to prey, others to remember those who died in wars and conflicts since World War I.
In Canterbury, a short service was held in Christ Church University’s chapel in an attempt to bring together the young and older generation to remember the lost heroes.
Reverand David Stroud said: “It shows that we aren’t forgetting that we are remembering and that even though we continue to make mistakes.”
“We remember not just the First and Second World Wars but all the consequent battles and fights that are going on even up to the present day.”
World War I, one of the bloodiest war in modern history also known as ‘The Great War’, ended 92 years ago with the signature of the armistice.
With the poppy as their symbol, generations of war veterans and volunteers have been since then spreading the same message, never forget.
ONE of Britain's oldest bears turns 90 years old this week.
Over 400 fans flocked to the Rupert Bear Museum in Canterbury last weekend to mark the occasion.
Visitors were welcomed to a Rupert Bear tea party where children could create their own cakes to go on display in the museum.
Older fans are fighting for a rare Rupert bear plush toy, currently auctioning on eBay.
Rupert first started as a small comic strip in the Daily Express newspaper in 1920 by Canterbury-born artist Mary Tortel. It was created to rival the popular comic strips in the Daily Mirror and Daily Mail.
Since then, the fond favourite has had his own animated cartoon in the 80s and 90s, a series of annuals, a film and a new CGI version of the show is currently shown on Channel 5.
Caroline Elvin
MANY elderly people could face problems in the next year as the social services threaten to cut care funding.
A £3bn funding cut could affect people with diabetes, Parkinson’s disease and dementia.
Canterbury’s Age Concern could be affected by the cuts. Judith Griffiths, director of Age Concern, Canterbury, explains what the cuts will mean for them, “We may have to change a few things, and mainly we will not be able to provide home care for those who cannot afford full-time care. This is something that we are quite certain we will not be able to provide. This is such a shame.”
Kent has the highest migration rate of over 65’s in the country, meaning that it will affect the county more than others.
Talks among Canterbury City Council and charities in Kent will start this month, and decisions will be made by March about the future of the elderly generation of Kent.
AROUND 150 students and staff from Canterbury Christ Church University took part in the protest against proposals to raise tuition fees to £9000 and cuts to colleges such as EMA.
Steve Godwin, National Union of Students president at Canterbury Christ Church University, described the rise in tuition fees as an “interesting proposal”.
He added: “it’s interesting because it’s ridiculous.”
At least 50,000 students and lecturers took part in the demonstration in London, which was aimed at challenging the big changes to funding proposed for higher education by the government.
The protest was organised by the National Union of Students (NUS) and the University and College Union, which represents lecturers, researchers and academics.
For more on the protest watch the video:
For more on the protest watch the video:
Caroline Elvin
CRIME in Kent has fallen for the fourth year in a row. Police have seen a decrease in robbery, sexual offences and theft.
However, with the latest spending cuts that the government have implemented, local people have concerns that crime will increase due to less Police being available.
Canterbury Liberal Democrat councilor Alex Perkins raises his concerns about the latest Police statistics “Police do feel the need to raise public expectations, but you will find that a lot of people do not report crime anymore as they do not think that the Police will do anything about it.”
Although Police have seen a decrease in some areas of crime in Canterbury, vehicle theft, and violence against a person is increasing.
Kent Police issued a statement about the figures “We will not get complacent, we have a lot of other ideas to keep Kent safe, and we will implement them as we see effective. We are, of course, happy with the progress of the Kent Police force and we hope to continue this way.”
Laura Russell
PUB popularity is falling due to increasingly poor service, according to reports by the BBC.
In fact, bad service is causing more than 39 pubs a week to close in the tough economic climate due to lack of customer loyalty.
The Good Pub Guide 2011 published an article exploring the main reasons for people refusing to revisit pubs, and highlighted their findings with a 'blacklist' of drinking establishments that had not received praise from punters.
Among the reasons was poor attitude from bar staff, such as unwelcoming landlords and a lack of interest in customers. Other complaints included lack of choice concerning food and drink, slow service, grubby surroundings and dogs roaming free in gastro-pubs.
Although the recession has not helped the situation, it is not entirely to blame.
"Pubs need to diversify to satisfy customers," said pub landlord Mark Burford. "The larger pub chains do not focus on customer service, and they lose repeat business by that. In the tough economic climate, it's important to hold onto your regulars."
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