NEWS
KING ’ S ROCHESTER UNCONSCIOUS BIAS DEBATE
BENENDEN SCHOOL TRIUMPHS AT TATLER SCHOOLS AWARDS
Benenden School has emerged triumphant , after winning in the prestigious Best Food category at the Tatler Schools Awards , for having the best food of any independent school in the country .
Its review concluded : “ Fuelling all this enterprise must be the incredible food : comparable to Ottolenghi ’ s finest , these girls eat bowls of edamame beans , sushi rice with beetroot and roasted vegetables and skate fillets with tomatoes and caper berries – all finished off with the most delicious brownies .”
A typical Benenden menu includes home-cooked favourites such as classic lasagne , roasted turkey , and breaded haddock , as well as international cuisine including the likes of katsu chicken , grilled teriyaki salmon , Greek-style lamb with tomato orzo , and delicious desserts including key lime pie , passion fruit cheesecake and carrot cake pudding !
Benenden headmistress Samantha Price said : “ As a boarding school , food is vitally important to us and we are delighted to have received this award . We have long been renowned for our outstanding food – when you ask the girls what they like most about Benenden , food invariably features towards the top of the list and when other schools visit us , we know the thing they most look forward to are the teas after the match !”
King ’ s Rochester welcomed members of the Diocese of Rochester to lead the first of three Unconscious Bias debate sessions .
Pupils were encouraged to consider what unconscious bias is , its origins and the detrimental effect it is having on society . They discussed race , gender and sexuality as well as discrimination against physical appearance , age and disability .
Pupils shared their own stories and were shown clips from Channel 4 ’ s ‘ The School That Tried to End Racism '. The thought-provoking session ended with a screening of ‘ Check Your Blind Spot ’ by poet Joshua Luke Smith .
The Unconscious Bias sessions form part of the Personal , Social , Health and Economic Education ( PSHEE ) curriculum at King ’ s including covering events such as Black History month and LGBT + month , as well as Anti-Bullying week and Mental Health Awareness week .
Principal of King ’ s Rochester , Mr Ben Charles said : “ We are extremely proud of the rich diversity of our pupil population at King ’ s . Such milestones as Black History Month will be celebrated , as is age-appropriate , in assemblies and school services .”
VISIT KENT EXEC AWARDED MBE
The outgoing deputy chief executive of Canterbury-based Visit Kent , David Curtis-Brignell , has been awarded an MBE for services to tourism in the Queen ’ s Birthday Honours List .
His nomination was in recognition of the decades of voluntary work he did in the industry as chair of Visit England ’ s English Tourism Week for 10 years ( and prior to that British Tourism Week which he cofounded ) and his activities with the professional organisation The Tourism Society .
David has recently taken voluntary redundancy , but says he is definitely not retiring but looking at ways of helping businesses , tourism and hospitality staff affected by this year ’ s downturn as a result of Covid-19 and will be taking on advisory , writing and public speaking roles .
Deirdre Wells , chief executive of Visit Kent , said : “ David is a true tourism legend whose contribution to Visit Kent has been matched only by his decades of dedication to the UK ’ s visitor economy . I am delighted that his considerable contribution to the tourism sector has been recognised in this much deserved honour .”
SEEKING LONG LOST FRIENDS IN DOVER
Brian Thomas from Buckland Estate in Dover is keen to trace former friends from the local area .
Now in his 80 ’ s , Brian is wondering how his pals from the 1950 ’ s are keeping , if they ’ re safe and well and how life has treated them .
The former Barton Road Secondary Modern School pupil has previously resided in Becketts Walk and Chaucer Crescent . Brian attended the school between 1949-1952 .
An avid member of the Dover Athletics Club , Brian competed in shot putt , discus and javelin before focussing on race walking - anything up to 50 miles !
He would really like to hear from Michael Hearn , Peter Amos , Ann Gates , Maureen Payne , Ken Matthews , Vernon Knight , and Peter Newing , or anyone else who remembers him from School , Athletics or the River area , of which he was particularly fond .
Please contact Brian at bpthomas1938 @ gmail . com .
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