We’ve a beautiful city that we must protect

From an early age, environmental campaigner Jo Kidd had a sense of the fragility of the world that would inspire her career and way of life. Now she is on a mission to save Canterbury from smog and to encourage a sustainable way of living

Where did you grow up? I was born and raised in Margate but moved to Canterbury in about 1990 to study at the University of Kent. My husband Terry and I also lived in Boughton for about eight years. We now live in St Dunstan’s so are very close to the issues of the Westgate Towers trial. What did you study? From a young age I became interested in politics, research, human rights and environmental issues. I did a degree in politics and social anthropology and then an MA in social anthropology. What do you do now? My first job was as a residential social worker but now I run the Skillnet Group in Canterbury, which helps people with and without learning difficulties work together. Terry and I have also established the Abbot’s Mill Project, the main aim of which is to create a renewable energy source through a water mill and an educational facility. I have also just helped launch the Canterbury Alliance for Sustainable Transport which will, I hope, bring people together to focus on perhaps the biggest issue facing the city. Do you live a very green lifestyle? We are not anti-car and have one ourselves. We recognise they are necessary for some journeys but we walk or cycle whenever we can. We have a Victorian house which we have insulated well and installed secondary double glazing and hope to have solar panels. We also have a wood burner and recycle as much as we can. How did you and Terry meet? I went to live in Turkey for a year and met Terry in Canterbury when I returned. We have it has been displaced into other streets. We think the county council has jumped the gun in announcing the trial will be reversed even before all the latest data has been made available and everyone has had their chance to consider it more carefully at the completion of the experiment. What do you like about Canterbury? It’s a beautiful city with many wonderful facilities like the Beaney. But we have a duty to care for it for future generations. The main issue is sustainable transport and we cannot let it become increasingly choked with traffic. We believe there needs to be a joint effort by all the community and a mix of people to come together and focus on a variety of measures which together could make a difference. We cannot just sit back and let the traffic overwhelm the city.

We are not anti-car and have one ourselves. We recognise they are necessary for some journeys but we walk or cycle whenever we can.

How is the Mill project going? We have had a few planning setbacks with elements of the scheme but more and more people are supporting the project and we are optimistic it will come to fruition. very similar views about the environment so had something in common straight away. We now have a two-year-old daughter called Rosa. Why have you gone against popular opinion and supported the Westgate Towers trial? I admire the city council for trying to do something to sort out Canterbury’s traffic problems. I know it has not been perfect but the data that is emerging is showing there have been benefits in reducing traffic in St Dunstan’s by around 15%, although we don’t deny some of What do you like to do in your spare time? I enjoy yoga and reading but also the outdoors and walks in the countryside. What other career might you have liked to have pursued? I am very interested in languages and learnt a bit of Turkish when I was living there. I would like to work in other countries and travel more and hope we will be able to do that in the future.