Community action/Canterbury
The aim of this page is to recognise, celebrate and encourage the self-empowerment of community agency networks (CANs) and community groups' activism for climate, environment and many other sustainability topics across Canterbury.
News
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Four new councils confirmed for Kent and Medway, BBC News (Jul 16, 2026) — North Kent: Dartford, Gravesham, and Medway; West Kent: Sevenoaks, Tonbridge and Malling, Maidstone, and Tunbridge Wells; Mid Kent: Swale, Ashford, and Folkestone and Hythe; East Kent: Canterbury, Thanet and Dover- Record-breaking heat and dry spring leave parts of England without water, reuters.com (May 29, 2026)
- Whitstable campaigners fight to stop 1,350 home development, BBC News (Sep 29, 2025) — local residents stepping up their campaign to fight what they have said would be the "largest ever development" in their part of Kent
- Plans for major overhaul of councils halted, BBC News (Sep 07, 2026)
- The UK towns at risk of running out of water within six weeks, inews.co.uk (Aug 12, 2026)
- ‘It’s irreplaceable’: Fury over Reform plans to expand quarry in ancient Kent woodland, theguardian.com (Jul 30, 2026)
- Severe drought declared in six areas of England as reservoirs run low, theguardian.com (Oct 15, 2026)
- Ardingly Reservoir falls below 20% as drought persists, BBC News (Oct 14, 2026)
- A growing movement for perennials could play a key role in future food security, wickedleeks.riverford.co.uk (Oct 08, 2026) — In the wake of this summer’s drought and rising energy costs, there is renewed interest in perennial crops
- Citizens need to power Europe's future, demnext.substack.com (Oct 02, 2026) — The EU can enable new democratic institutions: in European countries; with a European Citizens’ Assembly as a 4th branch of government, and by legally enforcing the Global Citizens’ Assembly on AI, Claudia Chwalisz and Another Democratic Future
- Reclaiming the streets: the architects clawing back Europe’s car-centric spaces, theguardian.com (Sep 09, 2026) — The European Prize for Urban Public Space’s shortlist highlights projects helping people cope with climate crisis
- We’re the mayors of Paris, Milan and Phoenix. The heat crisis has us all facing the same question, Emmanuel Grégoire, Giuseppe Sala and Kate Gallego, theguardian.com (Sep 07, 2026) — Our three cities are learning from each other about how to protect residents. These climate policies are also public health measures
- Hunter Valley community group wins landmark high court climate change case over coalmine, theguardian.com (Oct 07, 2026) — Ruling on Mount Pleasant coalmine shows ‘we cannot continue to dig up coal … and pretend the consequences have nothing to do with us’, group says
- Citizens need to power Europe's future, demnext.substack.com (Oct 02, 2026) — The EU can enable new democratic institutions: in European countries; with a European Citizens’ Assembly as a 4th branch of government, and by legally enforcing the Global Citizens’ Assembly on AI, Claudia Chwalisz and Another Democratic Future
- Fifty Billion Seedlings: Can Ethiopia Replant Its Ravaged Forests?, e360.yale.edu (Oct 01, 2026)
Networks and sustainability initiatives
[edit | edit source]Events
[edit | edit source]UK events
Oct 1 - 7, 2026 (Thu - Wed) — National Vegetarian Week, discover delicious dishes and see how a veggie diet is a great choice for the planet, nationalvegetarianweek.org- Oct 04, 2026 (Sun) — Homeless Sunday, housingjustice.org.uk
- Oct 18, 2026 (Sun) — Church Action on Poverty Sunday, taking place each year on the Sunday closest to the International Day for the Eradication on Poverty, church-poverty.org.uk
Global or international events
- Oct 01, 2026 (Thu) — World Vegetarian Day, Oct 1 each year, bringing awareness to the ethical, environmental, health, and humanitarian benefits of a vegetarian lifestyle, worldvegetarianday.navs-online.org
- Oct 02, 2026 (Fri) — International Day of Non-Violence, observed each year on 2 October, the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi, un.org
- Oct 07, 2026 (Wed) — World Day for Decent Work, October 7 is the World Day for Decent Work, ituc-csi.org
- Oct 10, 2026 (Sat) — World Mental Health Day, Oct 10, annually, wmhdofficial.com
- Oct 10, 2026 (Sat) — World Homeless Day, Oct 10 each year, drawing attention to homeless people’s needs locally and provide opportunities for the community to get involved in responding to homelessness, worldhomelessday.org
- Oct 10, 2026 (Sat) — World Migratory Bird Day, worldmigratorybirdday.org
- Oct 13, 2026 (Tue) — International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction, Oct 13, annually, promoting a global culture of natural disaster reduction, including prevention, mitigation, and preparedness, un.org
- Oct 16, 2026 (Fri) — World Food Day, celebrated every year around the world on 16 October, often with a focus on food security, fao.org
- Oct 17, 2026 (Sat) — International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, Oct 17 each year, honouring victims of poverty, hunger, violence and fear, with participation by the poorest of people an important aspect of the observance of the Day, un.org
- Oct 17, 2026 (Sat) — International Repair Day, annual celebration for everyone who makes repair happen in their communities around the world. "Repair for Everyone"., openrepair.org
2021-2030, UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, International community action events
CDC video
[edit | edit source]Each week 3 different short videos from across the UK or world.
Community action/United Kingdom/Cycling activism, Community action/South East England/Saving water / ...This week's featured Global videos / ... read more about Cosmolocalism
Canterbury video
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Social inclusion
[edit | edit source]Catching Lives
Catching Lives is a charity based in Canterbury, England, that assists rough sleepers, the homeless and those in insecure housing. It relies on donations, volunteers and fundraising within its local community. As of 2011, Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams was patron.
Catching Lives' Open Centre provides services such as meals, showers, laundry, clothing and a postal address to its clients. The staff and volunteers work with them to address issues they may have; get access to suitable accommodation, and find the motivation to take steps towards independent living.
The charity operates a winter night shelter in conjunction with local churches. 2016–2017 was its seventh season. The project opens church halls for Canterbury rough sleepers. Volunteers transport bedding, cook meals and welcome those who stay.
- Catching Lives, tackling homelessness in East Kent
Other initiatives
- Stream Walk Community Garden, Whitstable on Facebook
Climate action
[edit | edit source]- Canterbury Climate Action Partnership, independent not-for-profit Community Interest Company aiming to bring together all like-minded interest groups within the district to mobilise action towards a more sustainable future; especially to achieve a zero carbon district by 2030. added 21:27, 18 October 2021 (UTC)
- eco Cops on facebook.com
- Canterbury and District Greenpeace
Cycling
[edit | edit source]National Cycle Route 1 runs through Canterbury from Dover and Sandwich to Whitstable. National Cycle Route 18 runs from Canterbury to Ashford.
Rewilding
[edit | edit source]- Wilder Blean, wildwoodtrust.org, flagship wilding project launched by Wildwood Trust and Kent Wildlife Trust, in part of the West Blean woods nature reserve, near Canterbury, which is in one of the largest areas of ancient woodland in the UK. added 17:42, 6 December 2021 (UTC)
Environment quality
[edit | edit source]- Canterbury Clean Air, community action on air quality in Canterbury
Maps
- Canterbury pollution levels, map, added 16:01, 14 August 2020 (UTC)
News archive
[edit | edit source]- Whitstable campaigners fight to stop 1,350 home development, BBC News (Sep 29, 2025) — local residents stepping up their campaign to fight what they have said would be the "largest ever development" in their part of Kent
- How does it feel? The impact of mass development on local people, David Mairs, cprekent.org.uk (Aug 04, 2025) — They felt the potential loss of this land acutely – one person described it as “like having a limb cut off”, Executive summary, Rachael Reilly
- Butterfly project aims to halt population decline, BBC News (Apr 05, 2025)
- Work on £1.5m city centre revamp to start in April, BBC News (Mar 11, 2025) — Work to transform an area of Canterbury to reduce the use of cars locally will start next month
- Wild bison return to UK for first time in thousands of years, The Guardian (Jul 18, 2022)
- Laying the myths to rest: Canterbury crisis shows how desperate government policy and housebuilder attitudes are making homes unaffordable… and destroying our countryside, CPRE Kent (Feb 15, 2022)
- Whitstable named first plastic free town in Kent by conservation charity Surfers Against Sewage, Jan 11, 2019...kentonline.co.uk
- Canterbury: Locations sought for electric charge points, Nov 24, 2017...news.canterbury.gov.uk
About Canterbury
[edit | edit source]Campaigns
- Save Wincheap water meadows change.org
Past events
- August 25, 2014, Kent Festival of Bees, near Bridge, Canterbury
Canterbury ( KAN-tər-bər-ee or -berr-ee) is a city and UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Canterbury district, county of Kent, England; it was a county borough until 1974. Lying on the River Stour not far from its mouth on the Strait of Dover, the city has a mild oceanic climate.
Canterbury is a popular tourist destination, with the city's economy heavily reliant upon tourism, alongside higher education and retail. As of 2021, the city had a population of 55,087 inhabitants, including a substantial number of students and one of the highest student-to-permanent-resident ratios in Britain.
Near you
[edit | edit source]Ashford - Dover - Folkestone and Hythe - Swale - Thanet
See also
[edit | edit source]- Towards a more democratic and climate friendly way of meeting housing need across England
- London and South East England
- Saving water in South East England
| Authors | Phil Green |
|---|---|
| License | CC-BY-SA-3.0 |
| Cite as | Phil Green (2022–2026). "Community action/Canterbury". Appropedia. Retrieved October 18, 2026. |