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Welcome to the Thursday edition of the Kent Business Newsletter…

From fresh legal talent and a cyber-security warning for charities to Furley Page’s rural community work, this edition looks at practical investment across Kent.

We also follow a Medway port workforce marking a major safety milestone and Europa’s rooftop-solar project in Dartford, showing how different sectors are building capability for the future.

➡️ Got a business launch, win or story to share? Send it to [email protected] and we’ll help spread the word - for free!

If you missed previous editions you can catch-up here.

Birketts has welcomed 37 future solicitors in its largest trainee intake to date, including 11 people who have chosen to continue developing their careers with the firm. The new cohort will work across all seven offices, including Sevenoaks, while gaining hands-on experience through the full range of the firm’s sectors and services.

For the Kent office, it is a clear signal of how the firm is investing in legal talent for the long term. Early Careers Manager Amy Barden says the two-year programme will give trainees broad experience and support from colleagues as they develop their careers. It also gives local clients a glimpse of the next generation joining one of the region’s established legal teams.

➡ Birketts welcomes largest ever Trainee Solicitor cohort for 2026

A Kent-based Azets partner has warned charities that a major customer relationship management breach should be a wake-up call for boards, trustees and finance leaders. Siobhan Holmes says encrypted data alone is not enough when valid credentials can still be used to access and download donor information.

The warning matters far beyond the technology team. Charities use CRM systems for donations, event tickets, memberships and customer updates, while smaller organisations can be especially exposed. Holmes says cyber resilience needs to sit firmly within governance and risk management, prompting organisations to examine both their own safeguards and the security of the suppliers and platforms they rely on. The practical question is whether the chain around their data is as strong as the software.

➡ Charities warned to up their game on cyber security for donors

The East Kent Ploughing Match returned to Monkton for its 81st year, bringing together thousands of visitors and the area’s farming community despite the rain. Furley Page was again a sponsor and participant, with its Agricultural and Rural Business Team welcoming clients and contacts at the event.

Beyond the competition, the day put rural life, local food production and the next generation in the spotlight. New educational boards were introduced for school visitors, while ticket sales and donations supported local charities. Furley Page’s Sarah Webster called the match a highlight of Kent’s agricultural calendar and a chance to give something back to the rural community. The familiar mix of competition and fundraising made the occasion about more than a day in the field.

➡ Rural community celebrated at the East Kent Ploughing Match

Stafforce Ports and Peel Ports have marked a 100,000-vehicle milestone at Peel Ports Medway, with the workforce handling every vehicle without a recorded damage event or safety incident. The achievement spans operations across the London Medway cluster, linking the historic ports of Sheerness and Chatham, where automotive cargo sits alongside steel, timber, paper and project loads.

The team has since passed 106,000 vehicles. Stafforce Ports says the result reflects training, communication and a shared focus on safe work, while Peel Ports points to the part staff and partners play in sustaining standards across a busy logistics hub. The milestone also underlines Medway’s role as a gateway connecting South East businesses with UK and international markets.

➡ Stafforce Ports and Peel Ports Reach 100,000-Vehicle Milestone

Europa Worldwide Group has switched on a 600 kWp rooftop solar system at its Dartford site, and says more than 40 per cent of the building’s electricity use came from solar power in the first month. The installation is expected to generate 541,800 kWh a year and could save the logistics operator around £80,000 in its first year.

The project was delivered with landlord Prologis through a 30-year power purchase agreement, removing upfront capital costs and some lease complications. Europa says the experience shows the commercial case for warehouse rooftops, but also exposes the barriers slowing wider adoption, from grid connections and structures to insurance, lease restrictions and divided responsibility between tenants and landlords.

➡ Europa puts warehouse rooftop to work - but warns barriers are slowing solar progress

Dev Biswal, owner-chef of The Cook’s Tale and Marrakesh Café in Canterbury, has acquired the 14th-century Phoenix Tavern on Abbey Street, Faversham. The venue will reopen for drinks on 20 November, begin full kitchen service on 1 December and add overnight accommodation in the new year. Read more.

Dreamland Margate recorded approximately 413,000 visits during 2025, generating £25.7 million in spending and adding an estimated £12.3 million to Margate’s economy. Its commissioned economic-impact study says the attraction supported 280 full-time-equivalent jobs, including 55 direct employees, and spent £1 million with Margate businesses. Read more.

Discovery Park in Sandwich has selected ten science and technology start-ups, involving 13 founders, for the eighth Discovery Spark accelerator. The companies will receive commercial strategy and investor-readiness support before pitching to investors on 3 December; previous cohorts have collectively secured more than £6.5 million in UKRI funding. Read more.

On the show this week Paul and Jules was Martin Kingman of https://www.plc-group.co.uk/

To listen to this week’s show in full visit Kent Business Radio

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