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Help restore zero VAT

The Acting Dean of Rochester, Canon Dr Philip Hesketh, has asked that you please support this petition to bring back zero rate VAT on alterations to listed Churches. Please click on the link below and sign the petition, it will make such a difference.

http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/32229

We the undersigned urge the Chancellor to reconsider the extension of the standard rate of VAT (currently zero rated) to alternations to listed places of worship. This will have the effect of penalising the Church of England's 12,500 listed cathedral and church buildings, almost entirely maintained by volunteers and voluntary giving, who are currently altering their buildings to make them suitable for use by the wider community. The extra cost this will impose will seriously threaten the continuation of such works. Extending the remit of the Listed Places of Worship Grants Scheme, with no additional funding, will go no way to mitigating this.  It merely means a shrinking pot will be stretched even further.

Business Guild Annual Dinner

We are now well into our calendar of Business Guild events for 2012 and are very pleased to advise that the date of the Annual Dinner is Wednesday 27th June 2012. This is a very special event that is held in the Cathedral Crypt, a very atmospheric setting.

Tables of 8 are available at £550 with a discount available to Business Guild members. Individual places are £75. The evening will start at 6.30pm with a Champagne Reception before dinner at 7.30pm. To book your place please contact Lynne Bax in the Development Office on 01634 810074 or email development@rochestercathedral.org

To view the latest Business Guild brochure please click here.

Other dates to diarise are the Annual Seminar on 11th September at The Commissioner's House, Historic Dockyard, Chatham and our grateful thanks go to The Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust for providing this venue. The theme for this year's seminar is "Made in Britain - Made in Kent" and it is intended that this should be a review of manufacturing in this Country and in Kent at a time when it is so important for us to grow the economy out of recession. Last year our keynote speaker was John Penrose, MP and it is our aim, as always, to have speakers of note to lead this event.

Great Expectations Screenings in the Cathedral

10th February 2012

We had a wonderful evening in the Cathedral on Friday 10th February. We were delighted to have celebrity guests for the screening of David Lean's Great expectations. Follow the link for pictures! Our very grateful thanks to the BBC.

Click here

11th February 2012

We were also pleased to premier the short Viola Films production of 'Magwitch'  detailing the life of Magwitch before he met Pip. Click the link below for the trailer.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6ApltzTHHw

Our special guests hosting the event on Saturday 11th February were Beverley Thompson and Geoff Clark formerley presenters of BBC South East Today.

We are very grateful to our sponsors for this event, Southern Water  and Visit Kent.

Here are some photos from the evening by Connors Photographic

Dickens lived, worked  and died in Rochester in Kent and through using local places and characters in his novels created an historic social commentary which is exceptionally and vividly portrayed in this classic film.

Click here to find out about the empty grave of Charles Dickens

Business Guild Seminar

Tourism and the Economy - Kent & Medway

John Penrose MP, the Minister for Tourism & Heritage, was the keynote speaker at a seminar in which Visit Kent and Chatham Historic Dockyard participated as partners of The Rochester Cathedral Business Guild. The importance of tourism to the Kent economy was the theme of this seminar held at The Historic Dockyard, Chatham.

Christine Raynor of KRN Media reported:

"It attracted representatives from the industry in Kent as well as the Minister for Tourism & Heritage, Mr John Penrose, who gave the Governments view of this multi million pound booster for the country's economy. The Minister told a hushed audience that across the country everyone "got" what tourism was about and that it was vitally important to the national economy."

John Spence; John Penrose; Amanda Cottrell; Sir Ian Garnett; Ken Robinson

Other guest speakers for the day included Ken Robinson (Chairman of The Tourism Alliance); Joss Croft (Head of Marketing VisitBritain); Neil Davies (Chief Executive Medway Council); Lindsey Morgan (Assistant Principal Mid Kent College); Paul Hudson (Chairman SE England Lottery Fund/Infrastructure Planning Commission); Sandra Matthews-Marsh (Chief Executive Visit Kent); Dexter Moren (Director Dexter Moren Associates) and Frazer Thompson (Chief Executive English Wines Group plc).

John A Spence is Chairman of The Business Guild and was pleased to host this prestigious event.

Amanda Cottrell, Chairman of Visit Kent said prior to the event “This is a significant time for the tourism industry.  The day will be stimulating and challenging, bringing together some excellent speakers with you our businesses and local authority partners.  I urge you to take the time out to attend and we look forward to seeing you.”

There were opportunites for networking with a visit to the historic working Ropery during the lunch interval and at the close of the seminar the delegates visited the exhibition “Titanic, Honour and Glory”.

Our grateful thanks go to Mr Bill Ferris (Chief Executive of Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust) for the kind use of the facilities in The Commissioner's House and to our sponsors for the day, Smiths Gore.

Click here for full brochure