insideKENT Magazine Issue 85 - April 2019 | Page 144

NEWS
BATTLE OF THE WITS RAISES
ALMOST £2,000 FOR CHARITY
BLUEWATER CELEBRATES 20TH
BIRTHDAY WITH 20 GOOD DEEDS
Celebrating 20 years since opening, Bluewater has pledged to support 20
Good Deeds, investing both time and money in community initiatives
throughout 2019 and in the years ahead.
Some of the good causes to benefit will include Bexley Deaf Centre, offering
lip reading services to help people with hearing loss and The Hygiene Bank,
providing essential toiletries to support those vulnerable and struggling within
the local area. Dartford-based Elements Gymnastics will be awarded funds
and volunteer time to purchase and build specialist equipment to help advance
their young gymnasts to an elite level. All 20 projects will receive a mix of
funds and staff time, by way of thanks to the communities that have supported
Bluewater for the past 20 years.
Since opening, Bluewater has welcomed millions of guests from across Kent,
the UK and the world, and in doing so contributes £391m to the UK economy
every year. Through the business, its partners and guests, Bluewater supports
7,800 full time jobs, paying over £154m in wages each year. Additionally,
Bluewater has brokered employment for over 50,000 people, the majority of
which are from Kent, via the nationally recognised Learning Shop.
The award-winning and beautifully maintained parks and lakes are testament
to Bluewater’s commitment to enhancing biodiversity, with 900 different
species including Dormice and Peregrine Falcons calling Bluewater home.
The parkland is available to the local community to enjoy and has been
recognised as offering one of the best parks and green spaces across the UK,
having been granted gold status and a business landscape award by The South
& South East Britain in Bloom Awards, as well as several prestigious Green
Flag Awards.
CHRIS BARNES
Shepherd Neame’s first Battle of the Wits comedy night raised almost £2,000
for charity. A total of 140 people attended the competition, which saw 25
amateur comedians from across the county battle for their approval at The
Old Brewery Store in Faversham in March.
The event was hosted by award-winning comedian Adam Morrison, who hails
from the Isle of Sheppey. Competitors were given an allotted time to perform,
attempting to avoid being kicked off by those holding the ‘gong’ cards. Once
all three are shown, the comedian had to leave the stage. Those who survived
the initial knock-out round were then given another chance to perform and
compete for audience votes.
Chris Barnes, who performs as Trevor Feelgood, was crowned the winner,
and will now be given a five-minute slot performing alongside comedians
including Rory Bremner, Alexander Armstrong, Ben Miller, Ronni Ancona
and Hal Cruttenden at The Mighty Boy Comedy Night taking place in the
Underbelly on London’s South Bank on 5th June.
Chris, 35, from Ashford, said: “I work in retail and have been performing
stand-up comedy in my spare time for almost eight years now, in London and
the South East. I actually managed to Beat The Gong at the London Comedy
Store a couple of years ago, so I had a bit of experience, but I was still very
nervous about this competition as the prize was so amazing!”
A total of £1,906.27 was raised, which will go to Shepherd Neame’s Charity
of the Year, the Silas Pullen Fund in aid of the Brain Tumour Charity.
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