Thamesmead is funny: Bringing comedy to the community

When Bea moved to Thamesmead to become a Dot Dot Dot guardian she was keen to meet new people and become an active member of the community. But she quickly noticed a lack of community engagement and local events for adults.

Until she took matters into her own hands.

Thamesmead is Funny

A lover of stand up comedy, Bea organised a six week long comedy workshop for Thamesmead’s local residents which culminated in the ‘Thamesmead is Funny’ open mic night, sponsored by Peabody and Dot Dot Dot.

Bea’s idea was born from frustration: “It was the same people who were attending different community events again and again. I realised that most people in Thamesmead were not active members of the community. There wasn’t much in the way of events for adults; most things were children or family focused.

I wanted to engage people who hadn’t engaged with the community before. I wanted to take people out of their comfort zone.”

Winning the community fund

At first, Bea was hesitant. She’d had some exposure to event planning, however, putting on a comedy event was completely uncharted territory. “Then I met a fellow guardian, and we quickly became friends,” says Bea.

“When I told her about my idea she said it was brilliant, and agreed to help me. We both have very different skill sets so we were able to work well together. She’s an artist so she was instrumental in designing much of the promotional material like flyers and promotion for the event.”

With her friend on board, Bea submitted and won a bid for funding from Thamesmead Community Fund. From there, things moved quickly. They recruited a professional comedian to run the six workshops, sought out local participants and started planning for the open mic night.

On running the workshop, Bea says “we had a mix of participants – their ages ranged from 20 to 70! At first, no one spoke to each other. I was worried about them getting up on stage. But seeing everyone bond through the weeks was the best thing about this experience. I was overwhelmed by everyone’s eagerness to perform in front of an audience at the end.”

The big night out

Organising the open mic night presented several obstacles. Not only had Bea been warned that Thamesmead residents were notoriously hard to engage, she also struggled to find a venue willing to host them.

“We were doing something that hadn’t been done in Thamesmead before, and there were some particular concerns around licensing,” she explains. “It was important that we could serve alcohol because comedy doesn’t really work without it.”

It took a lot of negotiation and reassurance from Bea before The Moorings agreed to host the ‘Thamesmead is Funny’ event, which turned out to be a resounding success.

Bea tells us that “the best thing about the whole night wasn’t that the venue almost reached capacity despite our anxieties. It was at the end of the evening when an older lady came up to me. She told me that tonight was the first time she’d been out in the evenings for three years! She’d decided to come because she had attended a comedy event 10 years previously and enjoyed it.”

Long lasting impact

As property guardian, Bea is a meanwhile resident of Thamesmead. But her impact on the community and its individual residents is lasting.

One workshop participant told Bea that learning comedy brought playfulness back to her life after a difficult few years. Other attendees are planning to perform comedy at this year’s Thamesmead festival – a local community festival at which comedy has never been performed before.

Bea achieved exactly what she set out to do: engage local people by driving them out of their comfort zone.

Compassion without borders: How Basma is celebrating refugee week

A few months ago, Basma moved into one of our west London properties. A refugee from Egypt, she is a passionate volunteer within the refugee community and advocate for ending violence against women and girls. 

In the run up to Refugee Week, we spoke to Basma about her volunteering past and present.
 
Compassion without borders

Basma currently volunteers with Forward UK, the leading African women-led organisation working to end violence against women and girls.

“Most recently, I’ve been organising an event to celebrate Refugee Week,” Basma tells us. “We will be discussing the impact refugees have played in society and how their stories inspire us to be compassionate.”

“Through my years of volunteering I’ve built connections and strong networks in the sector so I’m best placed to invite guest speakers and panelists from within the refugee community.”
 
The power of stories

Basma first came to the UK four years ago on a year-long volunteer programme.

“Expanding Horizons is an ERASMUS project,” Basma explains. “I arrived in Liverpool and I volunteered with women and African minorities who had experienced violence.”

Last year, Basma traveled to France to volunteer with refugees in Calais which, she tells us, was a life-changing experience. “I was lucky enough to come to the UK with a visa. In Calais, I heard the stories of people who were brave enough to cross countries and continents without this privilege.”
 
Giving back 

When searching for low-cost housing alternatives to private rent, Basma was drawn to Dot Dot Dot’s volunteer-based approach.

“As a Dot Dot Dot guardian,” she explains, “I use some of my spare time to volunteer every month – to give to others the support I received when I first came to the UK.”

“Volunteering plays an important role in my life,” she goes on. “Not only has it allowed me to build up a really comprehensive set of professional skills, it has also allowed me to build connections and find people who share my values in life.”
 
Join Basma and other guest panelists at her event, Compassion without Borders, on 20th June at 6pm in Southwark.

Book your free ticket now.
 

International Women’s Day

Since International Women’s Day last year, we’ve housed 179 women who are making an incredible social impact. Together, these women have contributed 15,134 hours of voluntary work to a range of charities in the UK, Poland and further afield. That’s 179 women giving almost a quarter of a million pounds of work to 182 different causes.

Throughout the course of the year, we got to speak to some of these women about the volunteering they do.

Jessica: Knitting hats for newborns

While working as a student midwife, Jessica came across Bliss, a charity that supports parents and babies in neonatal care. After becoming a Dot Dot Dot property guardian, she started volunteering with the organisation.

“Delivering a baby prematurely can often be extremely stressful and upsetting,” Jessica begins. “The hats I knit don’t take away that stress, but I hope they do add a little bit of love to a tough situation. They bring home comforts to a starkly medical setting.
I pick up knitting patterns from a local shop, and I get knitting. Once I have made a few hats, I pack them up and deliver the bundle to the hospital. I’ve only just started this journey. But I am hoping to start knitting socks, and then jumpers in the near future.”

Angelika: Building a network of support for the LGBTQIA+ community in Poland

Angelika was drawn to our volunteering-based approach, having helped set up the Tecza Po Burzy Foundation in Poland, which exists to support LGBTQIA+ people with their mental health.

Angelika tells us that “the political situation has worsened in Poland, and the government is actively making it worse so it’s really important to offer support there.

There is a real lack of knowledge when it comes to the physical and mental health of LGBTQIA+ people. It is shocking to find out that 83% of medical professionals don’t know much about what it means to be a trans person, for example. We are working on a long term project to help combat this. When you’re distressed and you have to spend hours and hours looking for help and support online, it is even worse when you don’t know if you can trust the person who is sitting in front of you.”

Isabella: Creating a ‘better future for the children of today’

Isabella has focused her voluntary efforts on supporting children from disadvantaged backgrounds in Ghana with Visibility Africa.

“Our motto is ‘creating a better future for the children of today’” explains Isabella. “We have found the most effective way to do this is by helping, supporting and encouraging these children as well as providing key educational resources to help them to grow, become future leaders, teachers and more generally citizens who can contribute to a better Africa.

So far, we have successfully completed two projects, raising a total of over £2,500 to assist with orphans’ medication, school fees and other home essentials. We have also partnered with Organi Cup to provide reusable sanitary equipment for the girls, free menstruation education, and follow up visits to encourage the use of the menstrual cups.”

Karin: The Open HR Forum – Students

Karin’s initiative, the Open HR Forum – Students, operates on an international scale to create opportunities for HR students to become leaders in their field.

“At the start of the pandemic in 2020, I began a course in human resources with the Open HR Forum, to support my continued learning and development around communications in my home country of Slovakia.

I soon noticed a marked gap in the potential to access career consulting and work experience in Slovakia compared with the UK – the only options were for vast sums of money that were unaffordable for most of the students that I knew, including myself.”

On International Women’s Day, we want to say a huge thank you to all of these women for their dedication to social change. We hope this inspires you to create a positive impact, however big or small.

Spotlight on Sam: Creating connections through volunteering

As a video producer and communications consultant in the social sector, Sam has had the opportunity to work with non-profit organisations in Ireland, the UK and Sub Saharan Africa. Through volunteering as part of his Dot Dot Dot guardianship, Sam has been able to offer his skills to organisations that couldn’t otherwise afford his services.

We caught up with Sam about his experience of property guardianship so far and how he volunteers.

Using his unique skills to help others

In June last year, Sam moved from Dublin into one of our east London properties. Without the pressure of high rental costs, he’s found that he has more time to support the organisations he cares about.

“I’ve been volunteering since I started my career, but in Dublin I didn’t have time to volunteer in a planned or consistent way. I had to pretty much solely focus on paid work to pay the rent. Now that I’m a Dot Dot Dot guardian, I am paying half less than what I was paying in Dublin. I have more time to dedicate to organisations I care about.

I love being able to offer my professional skills pro bono to organisations that would otherwise be unable to afford my services. As my work focuses on social justice communications, I enjoy volunteering my time with a range of projects linked to my primary work.

My volunteering work focuses on marginalised communities particularly LGBT+, disability, and migrant issues. I’ve helped a variety of organisations in different ways from planning websites, to producing visual content and creating mental health resources.”

As someone who works in the social sector, he was also intrigued by the idea of living in the social economy.

“I have a postgraduate in Social Enterprise so I was drawn to the fact that Dot Dot Dot is a social enterprise itself. I’ve not been a property guardian for very long, but from what I’ve experienced so far they exhibit a high level of standard and responsibility to their guardians.”

Building new social connections

Dot Dot Dot guardians volunteer for 16 hours each month with many doing much more than this – Sam is one of these people. He splits his volunteering hours between pro bono work and volunteering locally which he’s found to be a great way to build social connections in a new city.

“One of my latest volunteer projects has been with Blueprint, an initiative supporting people who might not normally have the opportunity to become arts producers. I’ve been working with them to capture their story, and the really exciting arts festival they created. The story we’re telling will hopefully help connect with others to get involved with the programme, and make these arts opportunities more diverse and inclusive.

I’ve also been working with Friends of the Joiners Arms, an organisation passionate about protecting and creating queer spaces. They are now looking to open up the UK’s first community run queer venue. I’ve been working with them on plans for ensuring inclusivity and accessibility, and ways to communicate better with members so they can engage more with this great work.”

Although property guardianship is a temporary form of living, this hasn’t prevented Sam from forming friendships:

“Property guardianship is a temporary lifestyle,” he says. “As property guardians we are meanwhile people in meanwhile spaces. I’ve just moved to the UK, and I am looking to build connections while not being rooted anywhere for too long. So this property guardianship is perfect for me in this period of transition in my life.”

“As a guardian, you are at the heart of the community. I’m new to the UK and I’ve already got to meet lots of people from different backgrounds through neighbours and volunteering. I’ve helped my neighbour fix a few things around their flat, and we’ve become friends. There’s a social awareness that comes with being a guardian. And that’s been one of my favourite aspects so far.”

How to get into volunteering

As a veteran volunteer, Sam has some words of advice for guardians starting out on their volunteering journey.

“16 hours can sound like a really long time. But you can break it up by finding blocks of time that fit around your schedule. I’ve found it really useful to split my time across multiple different organisations.

If you’re looking for local opportunities, you only have to keep your eyes peeled and ears open. In my first few weeks here, I came across loads of volunteering opportunities through posters in my local cafe and speaking with my fellow guardians.”

Spotlight on Jessica: Knitting hats for newborns

While working as a student midwife, Jessica came across Bliss, a charity that supports parents and babies in neonatal care. After becoming a Dot Dot Dot property guardian, she started volunteering with the organisation. Jessica now knits hats and delivers them to local hospitals for premature newborns to wear.

We chatted with Jessica about what drove her to volunteer with Bliss when she became a Dot Dot Dot guardian.

 Staying connected to past passions 

While training to become a midwife,  Jessica often helped to deliver premature babies. This was when she first became aware of Bliss, which stocked baby clothes at the hospital where she worked. But it was only when she started looking at volunteering opportunities as a property guardian that she started volunteering for the organisation.

“When I became a Dot Dot Dot guardian, I saw Bliss listed on their volunteering resources for new guardians. I was inspired. I had forgotten about the amazing work Bliss does, and I knew straight away that I wanted to volunteer for them.

I loved being a midwife, but I realised over time that the job just didn’t suit me. Volunteering for Bliss has been such an amazing way to honour midwifery and stay connected to my past work.”

 Adding a little love to a tough situation 

Premature babies often come as a surprise. Parents won’t have had the time to pack bags or baby clothes. The clothes which Jessica makes by hand will often be the first outfit these babies wear.

“Delivering a baby prematurely can often be extremely stressful and upsetting. The hats I knit don’t take away that stress, but I hope they do add a little bit of love to a tough situation. They bring home comforts to a starkly medical setting.

I pick up knitting patterns from a local shop, and I get knitting. Once I have made a few hats, I pack them up and deliver the bundle to the hospital. I’ve only just started this journey. But I am hoping to start knitting socks, and then jumpers in the near future.”

 Making the time to give back

Jessica is busy retraining as a software engineer, but she’s found a unique set up which allows her to volunteer and focus on her career.

“I get to knit the hats at home so it’s really easy to fit in my volunteer work around my work schedule. One of the best things about Dot Dot Dot is that they hold you accountable. I used to volunteer, but I stopped when life got too busy. As a property guardian, I’m now making the time to give back to my community. I love that I am able to still support the women I used to work with as a midwife.”

Why being property guardian is right for Jessica 

Jessica lives with her partner in one of our west London flats and both of them are currently changing career paths. So they were looking for an inexpensive living solution when they heard about property guardianship through a friend.

“Being property guardians with Dot Dot Dot has helped our situation enormously. There’s no other way we could afford our own place while we’re both retraining. Property guardianship has given us the freedom to focus on the careers we want.

The flexibility that comes with being a guardian means that we can move out whenever we’re ready – we only need to give Dot Dot Dot 28 days’ notice. It’s also a huge bonus that we can decorate the flat how we want.

One of my favourite things about being a guardian is the sense of community.  We all know each other. Everyone is really sweet, and we all share a passion for volunteering. It’s nice coming home and saying hi to your neighbours.”

World Entrepreneur Day: The positive power of online gaming

At Dot Dot Dot, we house some truly innovative guardians who have made a real difference to their communities. To celebrate World Entrepreneur Day, we’re highlighting the work of Daniel who set up his own social enterprise during his time as a property guardian with us.

Daniel previously enjoyed volunteering at a local furniture store. But like many of us when Covid hit, he had to rethink the way he could carry out his work as a volunteer.

Creating change through online games

When the government enforced nationwide lockdowns, we all experienced an abrupt and new kind of isolation. This sudden lack of connection started Daniel on a journey to set up his own social enterprise.

He explains: “I had to completely reconsider how I was going to volunteer. I wanted to bring together vulnerable people who couldn’t leave the house. Throughout the pandemic, we used the power of online gaming to make a positive change in the world.”

A self-proclaimed “semi-professional nerd”, Daniel started building a community on the internet by running online events. He played all sorts of games from rogue-lites, to farming sims and Dungeons & Dragons. By live streaming the games on Twitch, viewers could get involved and interact with each other in real time.

The power of a remote community

Through his regular streaming schedule, Daniel created a safe and supportive space for people to have fun together without leaving their homes.

“We have built a regular community of people who come together to have fun and play games.  But there’s also a strong network of people who show up for each other. I see some people sharing certain problems, and others reaching out to help them.”

Not all fun and games

As things started to return to normal, Daniel saw how the power of games could have an even wider impact. In May 2021,  he officially founded Roll Together which is now a social enterprise.

The Roll Together community not only comes together to have fun online, they now fundraise for various charities: “Twitch is the primary mechanic through which we fundraise. While we stream people can donate money or buy subscriptions. All of these proceeds then go to the charity we are sponsoring at the time.”

In true entrepreneurial spirit, Daniel saw how the positive power of gaming could have an impact far beyond the internet and into the wider community. Roll Together has previously worked to fundraise for charities like Mind, Cancer Research, and LGBT Foundation. They are currently raising money for Operation Underground Railroad, an anti child trafficking organisation.

If you’re interested in joining Daniel’s live streams, check them out on Twitch.

Spotlight on Isabella: Creating a ‘better future for the children of today’

Since becoming a property guardian, Isabella, who lives in one of our Letchworth properties, has focused her voluntary efforts on supporting children from disadvantaged backgrounds in Ghana with community interest company, Visibility Africa. Discover how Isabella’s travels to the country have shaped her voluntary work.

Improving the wellbeing of vulnerable children

Our Letchworth-based guardian, Isabella explains that “In Africa there are 12 million children without a permanent, safe and supportive environment to call home. We have visited Ghana on several occasions. After seeing the reality of the situation with our own eyes, it is clearly evident that the problem is huge.

Visibility Africa aims to aid orphans with life threatening health issues. Isabella says “Visibility Africa carefully picks orphanages to partner with across Ghana. We raise finances to support children whilst also raising awareness about the hardships they face.”

We are currently partnering with an orphanage which houses 58 children all living with HIV from birth. Spending time with these children has given Visibility Africa a new focus. We have started devising ways to combat stereotypes that are associated with vulnerable children in developing countries.”

Supporting the development and education of future citizens

Improving the wellbeing of orphans and vulnerable children across Ghana is achieved through training programmes, educational sponsorship, and the provision of supplies and support to improve child development.

“Our motto is ‘creating a better future for the children of today’” explains Isabella. “We have found the most effective way to do this is by helping, supporting and encouraging these children as well as providing key educational resources to help them to grow, become future leaders, teachers and more generally citizens who can contribute to a better Africa.

So far, we have successfully completed two projects, raising a total of over £2,500 to assist with orphans’ medication, school fees and other home essentials. We have also partnered with Organi Cup to provide reusable sanitary equipment for the girls, free menstruation education, and follow up visits to encourage the use of the menstrual cups.”

Ways to support Visibility Africa

“There is still so much more to do and we would love for people to join us on our mission whether that’s through volunteering or assisting in any other capacity.

Visibility Africa is looking for people who share our value systems and beliefs. Whether you have an interest in marketing, fundraising, market research or simply just want to be part of a community dedicated to making a difference – we would love for you to get in touch to discuss how you can get involved.”

If you are interested in getting involved, please reach out to info@visibilityafrica.com or dm them on Instagram at @visibility.africa.

Spotlight on Angelika: Building a network of support for the LGBTQIA+ community in Poland

During Pride this year, we spoke to London-based guardian Angelika, who recently moved to the city. She was drawn to Dot Dot Dot’s volunteering-based approach, having helped set up the Tecza Po Burzy Foundation in Poland, which exists to support LGBTQIA+ people with their mental health.

Building the Foundation in the face of adversity

“I study neuroscience and have done LGBTQIA+ activism in the UK before so I felt compelled to get involved and redirect my focus on Poland specifically. The political situation has worsened in Poland, and the government is actively making it worse so it’s really important to offer support there.

When we set up the organisation last July, we did a lot of research into what support looks like for LGBTQIA+ people to understand how we can better cater to their needs. There are a number of LGBTQIA+ organisations in Poland but none which focus specifically on mental health support. The ones that exist have some initiatives, but largely focus on legal representation and assistance, cultural and artistic events. We needed to know what obstacles people face and what they required of an organisation that is trying to offer support.”

“It took us ten months to get registered as an organisation –  we can’t say it was due to homophobia, but they were definitely making it more difficult.”

Setting a vision as CEO

“As the founder and CEO, my role is to make things work! My focus is on the  bigger picture –  figuring out how we can do this long term. I talk to a lot of people, and try to find the right ways to communicate our mission and vision. My work for the organisation is varied. I spend time coming up with a strategy for funding, and I sometimes get involved in social media work.”

Creating a ‘map of support’ in the health sector

“There is a real lack of knowledge when it comes to the physical and mental health of LGBTQIA+ people. It is shocking to find out that 83% of medical professionals don’t know much about what it means to be a trans person, for example. We are working on a long term project to help combat this. When you’re distressed and you have to spend hours and hours looking for help and support online, it is even worse when you don’t know if you can trust the person who is sitting in front of you.

We’ve built and keep developing something we call the ‘Map of Support’. It is a database of trusted mental health professionals (therapists, psychiatrists, sexologists etc). We check how trained they are, and in what areas (i.e. same sex couples therapy, neurodivergent patients etc.). We want to make sure the people who say they are LGBTQIA+ friendly are actually helping and not traumatizing people further.”

Initiating important conversations

“One of our visions is to create something educational and meaningful for the community. We are currently working on a magazine that brings artists and therapists together. The first issue was about relationships. We wanted to focus on role models for the LGBTQIA+ people as there aren’t many in current mainstream media. In the second issue, we are discussing spirituality. As LGBTQIA+ people, we are often excluded from conversations on and exploration into the world of spirituality. The magazine includes interviews and articles from therapists as well as book and film recommendations. There is always a ‘guest from abroad’ section in English.”

Join upcoming ‘Stories of queer Poland’ live event

The Tecza Po Burzy Foundation is hosting an event, ‘Stories of queer Poland’, on Wednesday 22nd June at King’s College, London. This live panel event will also be hosted on Zoom. Register to attend the event. 

Angelika and the team at the Tecza Po Burzy Foundation would also love to hear from anyone interested in helping out with the organisation. Email info.teczapoburzy@gmail.com.

Amplifying her volunteering efforts with Dot Dot Dot guardianship: Karin and the Open HR Forum – Students

With the added support of Dot Dot Dot guardianship, west London guardian, Karin, has been able to amplify her volunteering efforts to enable students to access mentoring from real world working professionals. Karin’s initiative, the Open HR Forum – Students, operates on an international scale to create opportunities for HR students to become leaders in their field.

Developing a passion for communication skills

“One of my first voluntary roles was supporting students and teachers in Slovakian primary schools to develop their interpersonal skills. Since then I’ve been passionate about improving communications between students and working professionals in order to bridge the gap between learning and practical experience in the workplace.

At the start of the pandemic in 2020, I began a course in human resources with the Open HR Forum, to support my continued learning and development around communications in my home country of Slovakia.

I soon noticed a marked gap in the potential to access career consulting and work experience in Slovakia compared with the UK – the only options were for vast sums of money that were unaffordable for most of the students that I knew, including myself.”

Initiating a platform for students to gain real-world experience 

“I identified the need to establish a sub branch of the Open HR Forum specifically for students to gain practical experience and career consultancy. My main aim was to facilitate opportunities for people to be leaders in their field, something that was driven by students, for students, to dictate their own learning and development.

The initiative I’ve created helps to bring HR students together on an international scale, offering them mentoring and support from large professional organisations for free. Each student is paired with a working professional ‘buddy’ who is able to guide them towards applying their theoretical knowledge to practical scenarios.

They can also receive free advice form HR professionals during webinar sessions which has been really successful in helping to feed international knowledge back into the Slovakian education system.”

Utilising guardianship to re-divert time and energy towards volunteering

“Paying lower monthly living costs as a Dot Dot Dot guardian compared with the private rental sector means that I can afford to spend more of my spare time volunteering.

Dot Dot Dot recognising the value of volunteering is really powerful and was one of the deciding factors for me when I became a guardian in 2021. For me, volunteering comes naturally and is something that I’ve always felt comfortable doing – I’ve always cared about giving something back to my community, but being a guardian allows me to amplify my contributions and the amount of time I  dedicate to my initiative.

Guardianship is not for everyone, but there are many advantages to becoming one. I currently live in a large 4-bed townhouse in Hammersmith, west London, and share the property with a teacher, a human rights lawyer and a scientist. I absolutely love my guardian housemates and am so glad to have had the opportunity to meet them – we all have busy work and social lives, however we still find time to meet and relax as a household.

My relationship coordinator, Dominique, has also been fantastic. We feel supported by Dot Dot Dot and their emphasis on being there for the people as well as the property.”

A guide to Kent’s county town, Maidstone

As one of Kent’s most enduring and historically significant towns, Maidstone is ever-evolving to balance new and diverse industries with its historic charm and characterful corners. Peacefully located on the banks of the river Medway, this county town is well worth exploring for its hubs of entertainment, long list of much loved bars and restaurants and leafy aesthetic. We recently visited the area for ourselves – and here are our best bits.

Activities and attractions

The river Medway runs through the heart of Maidstone, and so the town offers a surprising amount of water sports during the warmer months. You can hire out canoes and kayaks to explore the river and even travel out into the pastoral Kent countryside on a day trip.

Cycling is also a popular pastime, and there are plenty of quiet and traffic-free routes to take to discover the county town. You could also head to Go Ape to explore the forest canopies in the surrounding rural beauty spots via zip lines and high ropes.

The Maidstone Museum and Art Gallery, residing within an Elizabethan manor house, hosts the most diverse mix of collections in Kent, and has won acclaim for its ethnographic and ancient artefacts. You’ll find  Anglo-saxon treasures, a chair that once belonged to Napoleon and even a 2,700 year old Egyptian Mummy.

The fossilised bones of ‘Iggy’ the Iguanadon (which can be found on the town’s coat of arms!) were discovered in 1834 during an excavation on Queen’s Road. As a historical find of international significance, they are now housed in the Natural History Museum in London, but a visit to Maidstone Museum will allow you to see a full cast of the bones.

Offering one of the most energetic and varied programmes of art performances in the south east, The Hazlitt Theatre offers drama, comedy and musical entertainment and local community theatre groups.

Where to shop and dine out 

Maidstone offers an eclectic mix of shopping and dining experiences. Amongst the recently refurbished Fremlin Walk, you can find a flagship House of Fraser, H&M, Flying Tiger and Waterstones, to name a few. On the other side of town you’ll find independent shopping experiences in and around the streets of The Royal Star Arcade and Market Buildings, with clothing and homeware boutique, Lottie’s Loft, being a particular highlight.

Restaurants and cafes are in abundance, with the highest concentration of eateries located around Earl Street. Check out the highly recommended Frederik Cafe Bistro, La Villetta, Mu Mu’s and Embankment Floating Restaurant on the River Medway.

In the historic villages in and around Maidstone, top pubs include The Fish on the Green in Bearsted, The Potting Shed in Langley and the Curious Eatery in Boughton Monchelsea.

Mote Park

Mote Park boasts an impressive 30 acre lake offering water sports, a pitch and putt course and a cafe hub. It’s also host to a variety of festivals and events throughout the summer and autumn.

Highlights include Ramblin Man Fair in July, one of the country’s biggest rock music festivals. For three years on the go, Ramblin Man Fair encompasses rock, blues and country, has its own beer festival, and there are options for glamping and camping nearby!

October welcomes the beer and folk music festival, Oktoberfest. Expect Europe’s biggest beer tent with 30,000 litres of Bavarian beer, traditional folk music and a German food market.

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