New Buddhist centre opens in Rochester
Plus Medway Walk for Peace, Medway podcast marks book anniversary, we review the Royal Crown, news in brief, and more
A new Buddhist centre has opened in Rochester this week, the first of its kind in the UK. We’ve been finding out more. Further down, we talk to the organisers of Medway’s upcoming Walk for Peace, hear about a special live recording of a Medway music podcast, we review the Royal Crown in Rochester, news in brief, and more.
New Buddhist centre opens in Rochester
Medway is host to the first Bodhicharya Buddhist centre in the UK, which opened this week in Rochester. We spoke with trustee Stuart McLeod to find out more…
This week was the formal opening of the first UK centre for Bodhicharya, “what is essentially an international movement of Buddhist centres,” says Stuart. The centre was opened by the guiding teacher of Bodhicharya International, Ringu Tulku Rinpoche, the patron of the UK wing, and former translator to the Dalai Lama.
There has been a Kent group meeting since 2015, previously at the Quaker Meeting House in Rochester. Ringu Tulku “identified Medway as the best place to establish the first UK centre.” Stuart says that Medway’s population size and the sense of need that the centre can provide for, “there's something quite special about the fact that Medway was earmarked as the place to do this.”
Buddhism is a global religion that has existed for over two and a half thousand years. For Stuart, what sets Buddhism apart from most other religions is “there's no sense of a creator god.” The historical figure of Buddha was a human being who, in the words of Buddhism, “attained enlightenment.” The idea is that the teachings of Buddhism are therefore set out for any individual to aspire to. “What the Buddha achieved is liberation from suffering.”
For Stuart, the approach to Buddhism, particularly through Bodhicharya, is “this idea of service to others as well. It's not about my spiritual development, my enlightenment, my liberation. It's how we conduct ourselves in service of others.” The Chair of Bodhicharya, Cesare Seguato, is a student of Ringu Tulku, and through his relationship with him, was encouraged to set up a local group, which was then established in 2015. “That group's evolved over time to building a friendly, supportive community around it,” to the point where they felt there was enough momentum to establish the centre.
Stuart is keen to emphasise that there is a focus on a non-sectarian approach to Buddhism. There will be three different schools of Buddhism represented at the centre. There’s Tibetan Buddhism, which is what Bodhicharya is rooted in, with a class on Tuesdays. Stuart’s training is in Chinese Zen Buddhism. There is also David Quirk Thornton, a priest in the Jodo Shinshu tradition, which will be offered as a monthly Sunday session as well.
The centre is in the former pavilion building at the bottom of Jackson Fields, Rochester. “It's quite a prominent location because anybody passing through the towns on the A2 will now see a four-meter-wide sign with Bodhicharya UK, Buddhist Meditation Centre written on it.” They also make use of the former bowling green. “It is a sad story that the bowling club didn't reopen after lockdown, and the building's been sat empty for years.” The Buddhist group has taken a five-year lease from Medway Council, which Stuart says has been supportive of their plans.
“Teresa Murray's been an advocate for it. Nina Gurung, as you probably wouldn't be surprised to hear, is our first ever Buddhist mayor last year, she's been a supporter as well.” Cllr Gurung was able to get community support towards funding some of the restoration. The charity found that the bowling pavilion, from a planning perspective, has to have a public benefit and public use to what they are doing. Their current plans are for two classes a week on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, with two different Buddhist traditions hosted there. Those classes are free to access, with donations welcome to support the charity.
Stuart tells me the charity has been thinking more broadly about how they can create more access to the green. “We don't have exclusive access to the entire site. There's tennis courts next to it, and football there every weekend. They seem to be curious about what we're up to.” Stuart will be offering Tai Chi classes, and there are plans for a yoga open day, “where we're going to be inviting local yoga teachers in Medway and the surrounds to come and see the centre, to see if it's a place they might want to use.”
If you are interested in checking out the centre, it will be open for classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays starting at 7.30pm. For security reasons, it is currently locked at other times. No prior Buddhism experience is required. There is a beginner’s entry point as well as aspects for people to aspire to, with day retreats. However, “spending a whole day in sitting meditation is not for everybody,” admits Stuart. “Either physically being able to do that, but also if you're completely new to meditation and new to observing the workings of the mind, you kind of need to build towards these things.”
Medway walks for peace
Medway Inter Faith Action has held the Medway Walk for Peace for almost twenty years. With the global politick as it is, this year is no different, with the 2025 walk taking place on the 12th July. We spoke with the Chair of MIFA, Ajaib Hussain, about this year’s route…
The Walk for Peace is about “bringing communities together,” says Ajaib. It is for people of any belief system, and those with no faith, and is an opportunity for them “to really get to know one another.” Ajaib tells me that once people know each other, “then you want to understand where your values are,” then, as the saying goes, we realise we have more in common.
Ajaib tells me that whilst “commonalities bind us,” what we do not have in common is also important to know and respect. “If you have a certain belief or a certain way of doing things, we're not going to change you.” Walk for Peace is one of the events MIFA organises throughout the year and has been doing so since 2006. Ajaib has been involved since he came to Medway in 2013.
For many participants, it is a walk and talk opportunity. The idea is “we walk together, visit different places of worship, have some entertainment, have some food, and understand those cultural differences.” Last year’s walk included the Naval War Memorial on the Great Lines, where there was a service. “This is a naval town, we lost a lot of good people. It's remembering, and we want peace.”
Over 100 people will join the walk at its peak, which this year is accommodating a new route, with new places and a new motto. This year’s is ‘for a brighter future,’ “which is poignant, not just for peace, but for our own selves. All over Medway, we have people struggling as a community with mental health issues, with health, struggling with our own lives.” This year they are starting at the new Buddhist Centre (see above). They will then walk to the Turkish Dialogue Centre “to experience hospitality in the Turkish tradition.”
From there, they will walk down to the old Intra High Street, to one of the oldest faith buildings in Medway, the Chatham Memorial Synagogue. “I think we're very lucky to have these established places of worship, who will welcome us and do a service.” Services throughout the walk will be multi-faith to accommodate everyone. “It will be very nice to have us all together in a synagogue, no matter what background you are.”
After that, they will walk along to the Rochester Library. “The library, you might say, is not a faith centre,” but “the library is a community hub”, where there will be a programme of art, “which we can appreciate and get more people to come and read and learn about the libraries.” For Ajaib, libraries are an integral part of our communities. “If we lose those, we will lose something, a page from that book if you like.”
The walk continues on to outside Rochester Cathedral, where local dignitaries, including the Mayor and the Chief Inspector, will give speeches. “A few VIPs saying a few words,” as Ajaib puts it. The walk will conclude at the Rochester Baptist Church on Crow Lane. There will be entertainment including Bulgarian Kitka dances, henna art, food, and further talks. For Ajaib, it's a day of fun for the whole family, and people can join at any stage of the walk.
“We're welcoming,” he notes, whether you're interested in joining the whole walk, which gathers at the Buddhist Centre at 10.45am, or at any of the mentioned points along the way. It is expected to finish if you stay the course, at 5pm.
Medway podcast marks ten years since seminal book
On 26 July, our side quest, Medwayish Community Interest Company, will be hosting an event at Medway Little Theatre to mark ten years since the release of Stephen Morris’ definitive book on the Medway music scene. Luckily, we were able to get an interview with the author and our in-house music reviewer, Stephen Morris, to find out more.
Songs in the Key of… is a podcast that Stephen started during lockdown. “Basically people were baking banana bread or starting podcasts. I went for the podcast option.” Each episode features Stephen talking about 10 songs on a particular theme or genre. Occasionally, he has a guest on, including this writer.
Stephen is also the author of Do It Yourself: A History of Music in Medway. To commemorate the 10th anniversary of the book being published by Cultured Llama, Stephen will be recording a live version of his podcast at Medway Little Theatre. The event will feature an evening of chat, as he welcomes Medway musicians on stage to perform and talk about their music.
“We’ve got Lupen Crook, Rachel Lowrie and Glenn Pragnell. It's going to be a fun evening, I'm really looking forward to doing it.” Stephen’s podcast will often have a Medway element to it, even when discussing music from around the world, “given that there's such a prevalence of music from Medway.” Stephen, who started off as a music reviewer for BBC Gloucester, wrote his book on Medway music, developing extensive knowledge after moving to the area.
“I’d heard of Billy Childish and The Prisoners, but over time I've met a lot of Medway musicians, interviewed them, and listened to a large amount of their music.” The book is an oral history and a set of reviews of the key albums that have come out since the late 70s. Stephen is currently working on a second edition of the book. “It's a bit of a refresh of the original text, plus an update as to what's been going on in the last ten years.”
Stephen feels it’s an exciting time for Medway with new bands coming through, citing Cream Soda, Mitchell Lane, Dockyard, and “Grinners who have come and are about to go.” Stephen picked the acts for the Medway Little Theatre event because “I'm a big fan of all three of them, and I wanted to cover different periods in Medway music's history.” Glenn Pragnell has been in a number of bands before forming Groovy Uncle, where he's released an album every year. “He's an excellent, witty songwriter,” and though he won’t be performing on the night, he will be part of the chat.
Rachel Lowrie has been singing for ten or so years publicly, most recently as part of the Ashen Keys. As well as talking to Stephen, she will perform as part of a new trio, South Shore, with Stuart Turner and Nick Rice. Completing the line-up is Lupen Crook. “He's been an absolute powerhouse of music and art for a very long time now. Really beautiful lyrics that are very heart on sleeve. I think he's a fascinating artist.”
The Songs in the Key of… live podcast recording will take place at Medway Little Theatre on the 26 July. Tickets are available here for £15.
Out to Lunch: Royal Crown
The Royal Crown is the final location on Rochester High Street before the bridge and wherever that may lead. I found this out during the week, as I walked looking for somewhere for brunch that was not previously reviewed or didn’t look like it would depress me. The Royal Crown was literally and figuratively the last option available.
Thankfully, it is delightful, welcoming, and friendly. What it is not is serving brunch. However, I’m comfortable and I have a drink, so I settle in. What I don’t have is a menu, which is being newly printed. As noon approaches, the menus appear, and I order a Whitstable Bay beer-battered haddock fish finger sandwich and a portion of ‘Mucky Swine’ loaded fries. They do not serve coleslaw. For those interested in the cost of these things, they also do not have prices on the menu. Whilst the adage goes that if you have to ask how much something costs, you can’t afford it,I am happy to say that the final bill was less than expected.
As I tuck into my gentrified fish finger sandwich, I have to admit it is delicious, with crisp, flavourful batter covering generous hunks of haddock. It comes with a nice tartare sauce and rocket. The loaded fries manage to stay crisp despite the melted cheddar cheese and mozzarella. They are a great accompaniment but would work as a snack in their own right.
Don’t just go to the Royal Crown when there is no other option, like I did. Go there because it’s a great venue with great food.
Events this week
🎨 5 - 20 Jul - Medway Open Studios // Artists across Medway throw open their studios and exhibit their work. Various locations. Free.
🎭 6 - 19 Jul - Duncan Rand One Act Play Festival // 52nd edition of the festival, bringing theatrical groups together for friendly competition. Medway Little Theatre, Rochester.
🛢️ Tue 8 Jul - There Will Be Blood // One-off screening of Paul Thomas Anderson’s epic masterpiece. Cineworld, Strood. Tickets £6.
🍲 Thu 10 Jul - Soul Food: Solo Food Stories // Lyrici Arts present a theatre experience exploring heritage, identity, and self-discovery through the voices of four talented Black heritage artists from Medway. Glassbox Theatre, Gillingham. Tickets from £10.
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