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T100 Walking Festival launch at Grays Beach

28th June 2019
Posted by Johnny Jenkins

The launch of Welcome to the Kitchen Table, 2019’s T100 walking, talking and making festival takes place on Friday 5 July at The Lightship Cafe at Grays Beach Riverside Park and everyone is welcome.

Walkers, talkers, makers, all are invited to share food, flags and stories as Kinetika sets off along the Thames Estuary for a programme of walks, culminating at Tilbury Carnival on Saturday 20thJuly. This a 15-day contemporary pilgrimage, with a focus on acknowledging, exploring and celebrating the diversity of the communities living and working along the river.

Johnny caught up with Ali Pretty in Pitsea:

Ali Pretty, Kinetika’s Artistic Director said

‘We are looking forward to meeting new people every day who will share their stories of recipes collected from all over the world.’

From 5pm until 7pm on Friday 5thJuly, Ali Pretty, who will lead the activity on T100, together with walk leaders, Kinetika artists and members of the many diverse communities who have worked on the festival, will celebrate the start of the fifth T100 with an introduction to the programme, highlights of the walks and reveal new work made especially for T100. This includes two new hand printed tablecloths, which will be used each day on the walks. They reflect recipes that have been shared by local people and transformed into designs produced by project participants from West African, Eastern European, Jewish, Asian and British communities living and working in Thurrock and Southend. Everyone will be invited to think about their hopes for the walks and what the journey ahead means to them, whether doing one or 15 walks, before enjoying an Indian buffet provided by the Lightship Cafe and a chance to chat and mingle with other walkers. 

The walks begin the following day, Saturday 6thJuly, with a shared meal at the opening celebrations for TICC, Thurrock’s world cultural festival. Before the first walk starts, walkers are invited to sample a diversity of food, heritage, performances, workshops and community conversations at TICC outside South Essex College Grays campus. 

That day’s walk follows the River Thames to St Clement’s Church and then on to Purfleet. The walk will offer atmospheric views of the river and sitings of wetland wildlife whilst also taking in the industrial landscape along the river too. 

A full programme of walk routes, start times and locations, can be found on the T100 website: www.thurrock100.com. All walks are free, led by an experienced guide and open to all.

There will be opportunities for writing, drawing and recording experiences each day.

For more information on Kinetika, please go to www.kinetikaonline.co.uk. 

Full schedule for the festival:

Thurrock:

  • Fri 5 July 5– 7pm Launch event at Grays Beach Riverside Park 
  • Sat 6 July  Shared lunch 12.30 – 2pm TICC Grays Campus. Walk 2pm. Grays to Purfleet via the Graffiti Wall and refreshments at St Clement’s Church 
  • Sun 7 July 11.30 am Purfleet to High House Production Park, picnic lunch and walk on to Chafford Hundred for early evening refreshments
  • Mon 8 July 12.30pm Lunch taster at intu Lakeside, Davy Down and the Mardyke Way to Bulphan
  • Tues 9 July 1pm Explore Orsett and walk to Chadwell St Mary for an early evening community BBQ
  • Weds 10 July 1.30pm Chadwell St Mary to Coalhouse Fort, ending in East Tilbury for George’s Fish and Chips
  • Thurs 11 July 11am East Tilbury to Pitsea with picnic at Thurrock Thameside Nature Park

Southend and Castle Point:

  • Fri 12 July 10.30am Canvey Island ramble with lunch on the sea front.
  • Sat 13 July 9.30am Benfleet to Chalkwell with Brunch at Salvation Army Tea Rooms and ice-cream at Belfairs Woodland Centre. 
  • Sun 14 July 10.00am Chalkwell to Southchurch Hall via the sea-front ending with a shared picnic.

North Kent:

  • Mon 15 July 10.00am Sheerness to Minster. 5.30 – 7p.m. Evening walk Leysdown to the Ferry Inn, Isle of Harty.
  • Tues 16 July 11.30am Faversham Two Creeks walk. 5pm Faversham town walk ending with a programme at the Hot Tin.
  • Weds 17 July 10.30am Sittingbourne Station to Kemsley and return on the Sittingbourne and Kemsley Light Railway. (tbc)
  • Thurs 18th July 5pm Gillingham to Strood 
  • Fri 19 July 3.00pm LowerHigham to Gravesend via the Thames and Medway Canal ending 6pm with shared meal in the twilight market.

Finale:

  • Sat 20 July 10am Walk through Tilbury to join the carnival and finale at Tilbury Cruise Terminal add timings