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Medway region under review at University event

The Medway region was top of the agenda during a unique event held at the University of Kent.

The one-day symposium - entitled Medway Lives, Gateway Futures: History, Community and Place - brought together more than 60 academics, policy makers and community group representatives for a series of talks and discussions about Medway's past, present and future.

Topics under review included the legacy of industrialisation, regeneration and construction work, religion in everyday life and traveller communities. The Symposium discussed the future of Medway, its location within the Thames Gateway and the key issues it faces.

Speakers included academic staff from the universities of Kent, Greenwich and Middlesex, and from English Heritage, while Paul Clark, MP for Gillingham and Rainham, and Robin Cooper, Director of Regeneration and Development at Medway Council, participated in the roundtable discussions. People from the local area contributed their ideas about regeneration and representatives from organisations such as World Heritage and Medway Renaissance also attended.

The event was staged at the University's Medway campus in Chatham Maritime.

Dr Joanne Warner, a senior lecturer from the University's School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research, who co-organised the event with colleagues from Social Sciences and Humanities, said it was the first time that such a large and diverse group had gathered to share ideas about the Medway region. 'Medway's location, and its ambitious regeneration within the Thames Gateway, makes it a place of huge interest, and a vibrant area for further research and study,' she said.

Dr Dawn Lyon, a lecturer in Sociology at the University of Kent, added: 'The symposium has started a debate and a dialogue, both within the academic world and between the universities, local agencies and other community groups in the Medway region.'

Contact: N.J.Ellwood@kent.ac.uk

Story published at 9:48am 24 April 2008