SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS VIRTUAL
BODSHAM PRIMARY SCHOOL – PROVING SMALL IS BEAUTIFUL
Canterbury brought a dose of early festive cheer to residents with a virtual Christmas light switch-on , keeping the spirit of Christmas alive despite the lockdown restrictions . The city , which has been adorned with five miles of festive lights bringing some much-needed sparkle to the medieval streets , commissioned a special film of the illuminations being switched on by the Lord Mayor of Canterbury and Marlowe Theatre ’ s pantomime star , Nurse Nellie .
The Lord Mayor of Canterbury Cllr Pat Todd said : “ The Spirit of Christmas is still alive and well in Canterbury . Please continue to support the businesses we love and cherish . And please , if you can , donate to the Lord Mayor ’ s Christmas Appeal as you will be supporting the delivery of parcels to those in need this Christmas .”
The film has been created to raise funds for the Lord Mayor ’ s Gift Fund , with original music supplied by local musicians James O ’ Keeffe and Stuart Weller ( Kids of Yesterday ). The song ‘ Wake Up It ’ s Christmas ’ is now available to download , with all proceeds going to the fund .
To watch the switch on visit Facebook @ mycanterbury , Instagram or Twitter @ my _ canterbury or Canterbury BID ’ s YouTube .
To donate to the Lord Mayor ’ s charity go to www . christmasgiftfund . co . uk
It ’ s not easy to find a thriving rural primary school these days . Small schools have disappeared from the map over the last decade as funding pressures have forced them to either join large academy chains or close altogether .
Bodsham Church of England Primary School is proudly bucking this trend ! The school has existed for more than 100 years and continues to flourish in its beautiful rural setting . Located halfway between Canterbury and Wye , Bodsham school is one of the smallest in the county . With around 80 pupils on roll , the school is able to use its tiny size to great advantage . Class sizes are small and Reception classes never exceed 13 children . This means the children experience an introduction to school life similar to that offered by expensive private schools nearby .
The school ’ s unique rural setting in an area of Outstanding Natural Beauty allows teachers to deliver a curriculum that features a great deal of time outdoors . An appreciation of the natural world is at the heart of learning and as a Church school the community enjoys close links with nearby Elmsted and Hastingleigh churches , where events such as Easter and Harvest festivals are celebrated . Bodsham ’ s playground is sheltered by an ancient horse chestnut tree – which not only provides the children with more conkers than they know what to do with in the Autumn – but also provides a fitting metaphor for the school itself – vibrant , beautiful and with strong foundations .
Bodsham Primary School is currently accepting applications for entry in September 2021 .
ULTRAFAST BROADBAND PROVIDER BEATS TOUGH TARGETS
Kent-based telecoms provider Trooli has hit a new landmark with 50,000 homes and businesses now able to access its ultrafast service .
Andy Conibere , CEO for Trooli , said : “ This has been a year of rapid growth and change for Trooli , and we have significantly expanded both our network and customer base as demand for our reliable , ultrafast , full fibre network continues to grow . Since January we have increased our number of homes passed from 10,500 to 50,000 , laid hundreds of kilometres of cabling and successfully crossed the county boundary to take our network to an underserved market in East Sussex . Over the same period we have continued to deliver an extremely high quality of service as reflected by a continued ‘ excellent ’ rating by our customers on Trustpilot .”
Trooli has also grown substantially , with staff positions more than doubling from 57 in January to the current count of 116 . It is steadily building its network across Kent and East Sussex and aims to be accessible to 150,000 homes and businesses in the next 18 months , rising to 500,000 in four years .
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