news INDEX SeptemberNews
Catching Lives Catching Lives is an independent charity that supports the homeless, vulnerably housed and those with need in and around Canterbury. Patroned by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, its aim is to ‘catch’ the lives of people who have fallen through the gaps in society and who feel they have nowhere else to turn. Since October 2009 the Catching Lives team have helped to house over 230 homeless people in Canterbury and helped dozens more enter rehabilitation programmes. Although Catching Lives often discovers between 30- 40 homeless people living in and around Canterbury, the number of vulnerably housed, the hidden homeless, is signifi cantly higher and is of equal concern. Today the local picture
is bleak: with benefi t cuts and cuts to the public sector starting to take hold we have seen an increased demand for our services. For the entire year of 2010 Catching Lives welcomed 398 into its Canterbury Open Centre, with a peak average of 18 people sleeping rough in any one week. In the fi rst six months of 2011 we have already seen the number of visitors hit very close to that number, the average peak in rough sleeper numbers hitting 23. In real terms this equates to a 30 per cent increase. You can help with
community fundraising, by donating (forms are available at
www.catchinglives.org) or by volunteering at the centre.
Open doors, open days
Do you ever pass a door and wonder – even briefl y before you carry on with your day – what that building looks like inside? This month, you might just get a chance. Heritage Open Days (HOD) celebrates England’s architecture and
culture by allowing visitors free access to interesting properties not usually open, or would normally charge an entrance fee. On offer in and around Canterbury is Whitstable Castle
(pictured), a chapel in a former reservoir, a town hall, a railway tunnel and a former synagogue. See our What’s On listings for details of our favourites or get more information from www.
heritageopendays.org.uk/directory/town/Canterbury or pick up a leafl et from Canterbury Visitor Centre, local libraries and City Council Offi ces.
Jason Dodd Woodland ways
If you want to get out and experience autumn why not try conservation volunteering? There is a volunteer welcome day and guided walk at Blean
Nailed up
If you haven’t yet seen Anthony Gormley’s fl oating body sculpture in the eastern crypt of the cathedral, it’s worth experiencing. The work is 2m long and constructed from antique iron nails salvaged after repairs to the transept roof. Anthony Gormley is known for his works that place the human form in unlikely locations to explore the relationship between the body and space at large. The opening hours are 9am to 4.30pm Monday to Saturday, with restrictions for services.
Ancient Woodlands where you can see if you have a taste for hard work and tea and biscuits. After lunch, John Wilson, Blean Biodiversity Warden will lead a stroll around the woods. Meet 10am in Thornden Wood Road car park. OS map ref: TR143633, post code CT6 7NZ. The organisers recommend good boots, waterproofs and old clothes that you don’t mind getting dirty and warn that there may be uneven ground, and muddy places. For further details call 01227 719506. In another part of the forest… much missed author Robert Holdstock, who died in 2009 at the age of 61 now has three acres of Victory Wood dedicated to him thanks to a campaign by his friends and fans. He grew up in Hythe, and his most famous work is the Ryhope Wood series, a cycle of mythic fantasy novels about the Huxley family and their experiences in an enigmatic ancient forest. Victory Wood is protected by The Woodland Trust, and it sits between The Blean and Ellenden Woods, three miles north of the city. For more information about the wood, and memorial acres, see
www.woodlandtrust.org.uk
Want!
At Index Towers this month we have been wishing for… A Maxwell & Williams footed cakestand (£35) from Fenwicks (tel: 01227 766866) Maxwell & Williams Patisserie Footed Cakestand £35. A Bubble and Sweet lunch set (from £6.75) by Paperchase (tel: 01227 454252).
Animal magic
Pet lovers should head for Gillet and Cook on the A2 between Faversham and Sittingbourne, where they will fi nd everything for animals great and small. This family-run business is open every day and they deliver for free so you can buy in bulk.
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www.indexmagazine.co.uk
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