Arts & Culture
A charity campaigning for the rights of refugees has again enlisted the help of poets and writers from the University of Kent. Refugee Tales, now in its sixth year, normally organises a walk with refugees, asylum seekers and immigration detainees across the South East, telling stories along the way, but with coronavirus restrictions all activities had to be held entirely online. Co-organiser of Refugee Tales and Director of Gatwick Detainees Welfare Group, Anna Pincus, said: “We are also inviting people to walk in their area, following government guidelines and to send in photos of bridges they see, to emphasise that we are very much connected. Three books of refugee tales have been published, see www.refugeetales.org/books
In-car entertainment
40
Summer nights will drift into film fantasy, as Dreamland Margate converts to a socially distanced drive-in cinema during August. The vintage amusement park, celebrating its centenary this year, is preparing to welcome motorists to enjoy a selection of movies projected on to a large HD outdoor screen. And at £35 per vehicle, it can prove a reasonably priced evening out for all the family. Dreamland members can claim 10% discount on car tickets when booked in advance.
Matching masks
Natty dressers now have the chance to protect themselves from Covid-19, with a matching shirt and mask made by Savile Row’s first female tailor, Alexandra Wood. She has created a collection of exclusive, head-turning facemasks with matching shirts, made from luxury cotton and supplied either ready-to-wear or made-to-measure for customers to a personalised design. The masks are washable and sustainable. Alexandra who founded and runs an exclusive Savile Row tailoring business, knew her customers wouldn’t be happy with run-of-the-mill designs and came up with the idea of producing stylish items. For every made-to-measure shirt order, customers will receive an exclusive, matching face mask to accompany their new creation and Alexandra will donate 30% of profits to the NHS. Arts students are showing off their end-ofyear art work online, because of Covid-19 restrictions. The showcase for Canterbury Christ Church University’s School of Creative Arts and Industries (known as Scandi) is seen as the best opportunity
to exhibit work when personal viewing is impossible. Lecturer and self-employed web designer Shelley Bartlette, who led the project, said: “The school had been discussing ways to share end-of-year student work during lockdown, since the normal performances and exhibitions were not possible. They decided this would be the perfect opportunity to create a schools’ student showcase website to exhibit the material and serve as a promotional tool for future students. “This presented a wonderful opportunity for students to get involved in a ‘real-world’ project and gain valuable experience of working for a ‘live’ client.” https://schoolofcreativeartsandindustries.com
then. Could you imagine the impact the pandemic would have had on business back then? No structure for home working, no way of communicating other than by fax or post. With offices, shops and factories shut, things certainly would have ground to halt. When I look now at the tiny device, I often feel is glued to my hand, it is certainly a life-saver in terms of business. My mobile phone acts as a portable office, connecting me with people in so many ways. It feeds me information, it assists with my accounts and also offers me options to sit back, relax, listen to music or watch something of interest. We certainly have come a long way. I wonder if those looking back in 2050 will wonder how we managed to conduct business in 2020. No doubt technology will continue developing at a rapid pace, taking with it our ways of working and our capabilities. There is no doubt the economy has been hit by the pandemic and quite possibly worse is to come,
CONTACT Jo James OBE, chief executive, Kent Invicta Chamber
@invictachamber
August/September 2020 | www.southeastbusiness.com
B M A
ER COMM
E NT
A time to reflect
I have to take my hat off to Kent County Council and all the local authorities in Kent. All too often the public sector takes a bashing and is branded as being too slow and bureaucratic, but in response to Covid-19, I have to say a big thank-you on behalf of businesses across Kent. Last month, I had my work anniversary – 30 years at the Chamber. If you think that is half my life, it’s quite a scary thought, but it got me reflecting on where the time has gone and how over those years things have changed. I remember my first day, a manual typewriter, no internet, no emails, no mobile phone, the highest bit of tech in the office was the fax machine. We have certainly come a long way since
Online exhibition
CH
Walk for refugees
but without the advances in technology things could have been so much worse. The real opportunity lies in how we take the new ways of working we have all very quickly had to adapt to and build on them to really drive things forward. I hear so many people saying “I just want things to return to normal”, but if we do we will in a way be moving backwards. The pandemic has opened the eyes of so many to how embracing digital can not only safeguard your business but offer opportunities and those that not only survive but thrive through this, will be the ones that adapt, learn and innovate.
