CanterburyExtraCE

Plenty to celebrate in the city this summer!

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Fri, 18 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

by Gerry Warren gwarren@thekmgroup.co.uk A SUMMER to remember, that is how the city council is billing the host of activities and celebrations it is supporting during 2012.

There is a packed programme of events including the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, the arrival in the district of the Olympic Torch on July 19, festivals in the coastal towns, the Canterbury Food and Drink Festival and the reo

Novice anglers hooked by the sport

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Fri, 18 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

THE only after-school fishing club in Kent got off to a great start at Littlebourne Lakes.
The Spires Academy Fishing Club attracted seven students aged from 12 to 15.
Students had practised casting and learned to identify different types of fish before setting out with teacher Richard Naylor.
Fatfish Tackle in Chartham provided tackle and bait, Canterbury District Angling Association s

Emotional tribute to much-loved Dave Lee

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Fri, 18 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

by Sian Napier snapier@thekmgroup.co.uk THE life of the late comic Dave Lee was celebrated in a star-studded show at Canterbury's Marlowe Theatre .

Performers who had known or worked with the Canterbury comedian, who died in January aged 64, turned up to take part in a four-hour extravaganza featuring songs and comedy.

Produced by Paul Hendy, who had worked with Mr Lee in numerous pan

Steve Constable Ribbing of Roy was wrong

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Fri, 18 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

SO, THE England football manager has been in the job for little more than a week and, to paraphrase the host commentator after that infamous defeat in Norway 1981, he has already taken a hell of a beating.
You might think, after The Sun's front-page mockery of Roy Hodgson's quirk of speech ("Bwing on the Euwos") that he could yet expect a lot worse.
Without playing a match, he has been welc

Fans queue up for free comics

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Fri, 18 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

LOVERS of comics and graphic novels queued outside a shop in Canterbury to be among the first in to get free copies.
Whatever Comics, in St Peter's Street, was taking part in Free Comic Book Day, an annual event around the world when copies of 42 different publications are given away.
As dozens of people surged through the doors they were greeted by Green Lantern, played by former Canterbury

Auction of valuable Chinese porcelain

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Fri, 18 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

A MAJOR collection of fine Imperial Chinese porcelain, jade and ivories owned by a former King's School student is to come under the hammer.
The 76 items from the Tony Evans collection will be sold at Canterbury Auction Galleries on Tuesday, May 22 and expected to sell for in excess of £150,000.
Mr Evans' love of Chinese porcelain developed when his family moved to China in 1925 when he was

`We need time to gather more information'

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Fri, 18 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

City council spokesman Rob Davies said: "It was always our intention to hold a full public consultation after a few months so we had time to gather information and data about traffic flows, how other roads are affected and air quality.
"We needed to understand the impact of the scheme but we want the public's views and there will be a formal consultation in July when we will have more infor

Petition calls for debate over towers' traffic woes

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Fri, 18 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

by Gerry Warren gwarren@thekmgroup.co.uk AN E-PETITION has been launched on the city council's website in a bid to force a debate about the trial Westgate Towers traffic scheme.

It has been started by Brian Buggins, of Queen's Avenue, who says there should have been full public consultation before it was introduced.

It calls on the council to hold a public debate, including publication of al

Country challenge teams gunning for cash target

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Fri, 18 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

by Gerry Warren gwarren@thekmgroup.co.uk MORE than 20 teams were pitted against each other in a battle of countryside pursuits to raise money for the Pilgrims Hospices and other local charities.

The event at Greenfields Shooting Ground at Sturry was organised by the Forest of Blean Rotary Club.

There were 22 teams of four from all over the South East who competed in shooting, off-road

Damp cyclists in the saddle to help hospices

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Fri, 18 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

by Gerry Warren gwarren@thekmgroup.co.uk HUNDREDS of cyclists drew back the curtains to see less than inviting conditions to go for a ride cold, wind and rain.

But that did not deter a record number of them from taking part in the Tri-Hospice Cycle Challenge to raise money for the three Pilgrims Hospices in East Kent.

The event was supported by 700 riders from all over the county nearl

Motorist had been drinking because she was depressed

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Fri, 18 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

`On the day she bought a can of alcohol and sat on the seafront drinking it. She is now seeking help from the Kent Council for addiction to make sure it never happens again' by Gerry Warren gwarren@thekmgroup.co.uk A DRUNK driver who crashed into two parked cars in a busy town centre had been drinking because she was depressed, a court has heard.

Divorcee Pauline Burrow, 59, lost cont

Students' dance festival

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Fri, 18 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

A SHOWCASE of dance is on offer at the Marlowe Theatre, featuring talented pupils drawn from schools across east Kent.
Spires Academy is hosting its annual festival, which is being held at the Marlowe for the first time this year on Thursday, May 17 at 7pm in the main auditorium.
The Sturry school specialises in Visual, Creative and Performing Arts, and 10 schools have accepted its invitatio

Museum looks back at the Blitz

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Fri, 18 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

DO YOU remember the terrible night of the Canterbury Blitz?
If so, the National Heritage Museum in Stour Street, Canterbury, is inviting you to share your memories for a 70th anniversary weekend it is organising to mark the Baedeker raid on June 1, 1942.

Museum education officer Martin Crowther says whether the raid affected you, your relatives, friends or neighbours he would like to hear

Clay meets pet who has given him a new lease of life

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Fri, 18 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

`Then we put nearly half a litre of blood from Nero into Clay, which is a significant amount. We had to make sure they were a match and that Clay wouldn't suffer any adverse reaction' by Jan Thom kentishgazette@thekmgroup.co.uk A DOG suffering from an aggressive cancer who acts as his owner's ears has met Nero, the heroic greyhound who has helped prolong his life.

Clay the cockerpoo, a

Blood donors call made

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Fri, 18 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Tamsin has called for more owners to consider making their dogs available as blood donors.
She has carried out extensive research into the subject and found greyhounds make excellent donors because they are so athletic. She says any dog is suitable as long as they weigh over 25 kgs, are healthy with up-to-date vaccinations.
It is helpful if dogs are calm like Nero.

Praise for long-serving councillor

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Fri, 18 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

BARONESS Shirley Williams visited Canterbury and, during her visit, paid tribute to local Liberal Democrat Michael Dixey, who has served 25 years on the city council.

Cllr Dixey, who represents Harbledown ward, was first elected on May 7, 1987, and has been the local councillor for the area ever since.

Baroness Williams said: "It is people like Michael, who give willingly of their time in or

Motorists suffer plague of potholes once again

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Fri, 18 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

by Alex Claridge aclaridge@thekmgroup.co.uk POTHOLES have again become a massive headache across the city, say drivers.

Heavy rain over recent weeks appears to have opened the holes on roads in Canterbury and the villages.

Among the worst affected is the backstreets of Wincheap used as a rat-run by drivers avoiding delays on the main roads and by buses and schools traffic.

Cllr

Walk explores wood's history and wildlife

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Fri, 18 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

A NEW walk exploring the Blean Woods, north of Canterbury has opened.

Teams of walkers braved the drizzle to take part in the launch of the Big Blean Walk starting from Upper Harbledown.

One group was guided by the new RSPB warden for the Blean national nature reserve, Jason Mitchell, and enjoyed hearing nightingales, a willow warbler and a cuckoo. Another group, led by Mike Enfield from the

Rakish and effective

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Fri, 18 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The Subaru XV's combination of looks and ability along with the promise of enhanced aftersales support are compelling factors in what is a fiercely competitive soft-roader market.
Iain Dooley reports When you've built your brand on the toughness element of your vehicles, adapting to market trends and offering a soft-roader option is always going to be a challenge. The upside is the chance of

Sturry Road park and ride `dogging area' says website

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Fri, 18 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

by Alex Claridge aclaridge@thekmgroup.co.uk THE Sturry Road park and ride has emerged as the city's latest hotspot for dogging, the activity of meeting strangers for open sex.

Website Swinging Heaven lists the car park as an ideal location with bushes and hillocks for doggers who should show their interest by touching their groins.

It boasts that singles and couples are welcome. Dogger

City's lively swinging scene

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Fri, 18 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

CANTERBURY also appears to have a thriving swinging scene with websites listing people across the city interested in meeting each other purely for sex.
Each entry lists their tastes and whether they want to meet men or women or in some cases both.
Some of the entries are full of extreme sexual content and some even show photographs of those willing to take part.
Virtually all those postin