Ramsgate Recorder Winter 2022

RAMSGATE RECORDER

Modern-day

Stories

The

Sunday Roasts out at

Editorial Editor Lila Allen Sub-editor John Murphy Founder & Editor-in-Chief Clare Freeman Co-founder & Advertising director Jen Brammer Design director Lizzy Tweedale Publishing assistant Esther Ellard

Social media manager Emily Hebe

Contributors

Writers

Poppy Britcher Russell Chater Gemma Dempsey Kirsty Farley Andrew Flood Lynsey Fox Gabriella Griffith Laura Nickoll Keith Ross Willow Vincent Nicola Wren

Stylist Katy Lassen

Photographers Jaron James Ed Thompson

Illustrators Molly Pickle Jade Spranklen

cover image

Fish and Chips by Jaron James

Printed by Mortons Print Ltd, Morton Way, Boston Road Industrial Estate, Horncastle, LN9 6JR

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Website brightsidepublishing. com

Media @ramsgaterecorder

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15

Welcome to our winter issue!

From the Editor Lila Allen

to be cheery about as we launch into the present-giving season. We’ve a handy shopping guide to help give with both hands this Christmas; to the people you love while also supporting Ramsgate’s local businesses. Our fish and chip shop special celebrates the town’s many purveyors of this fine British cuisine – there’s something for every palate and diet here, and many of you have been chipping in with your reviews.

Contents

5 The Scoop – the latest happenings in and around town

Gemma’s Jaunts – our columnist goes wine tasting… locally of course

7 Hotlist – your full listings for the season ahead

8 A batter bite – the Ramsgate’s fish and chip shops: where does what best

10 Life of Pie – Pie Factory Music is twenty – let’s celebrate!

12 Our changing High Street – meet the consortium overseeing the future High Street Fund

14 Winds of change – as energy costs rise, we check out the power of wind off Ramsgate’s shores

Ihope this latest edition of the Recorder is as welcome a comfort as the fish and chips we feature on our cover this issue – lord knows we all need comfort in these troubling times. Like everyone, we are not immune to the waves that are buffeting us all. You may notice we are a slimmed down edition this time around as the businesses we all love and want to see thrive tighten their belts, bracing for the season ahead. We’re very grateful to all those who advertise with us and we urge all of you reading to think about where you spend your wellearned cash, and where possible to shop local. With that in mind, there’s plenty

fifteen Winter 2022/23 October to January

From chips to pie and Pie Factory Music, which is celebrating 20 years of supporting young people through involvement in music and the arts. And we’re all invited to help them celebrate. Discovery Planet is also bringing new opportunities to children, young people and their families, this time in the High Street with an ever-increasing offer of accessible and fun science. We meet the team behind the venture. We voyage out to sea to discover more about London Array and the world of wind power. As we all face the increasing costs of energy, does a greener world beckon just off these shores?

In music we meet Donna McKevitt, whose Ramsgate home studio takes us into the the world of Nick Cave, the plight of the Uyghurs and film scores. And we’ve our regular arts feature this time meeting Rebekah Sunshine, whose Wooden Box Gallery is a year old, and now proud parent to the Wooden Box Café just across the road. With so much more inside to sit back and feel ok about, here’s wishing you a relaxed end to 2022 and see you in the new year!

regulator

18 A world of Discovery – meet the team behind the High Street science hub Discovery Planet

21 Meet the musician – Donna McKevitt, composer for stage and screen

24 Style on the beach – what Ramsgate’s wearing on the sand and in the sea this season

26 Boxing clever – a year on from opening the Wooden Box Gallery, Rebekah Sunshine opens the doors to the the Wooden Box Café

28 In conversation with Lupen Crook – the musician and artist on the paintings he’s created since settling in Ramsgate

31 The cost of Christmas – our handy shopping guide has you covered for gifts all under £20

34 Nailing it – the traditional techniques and materials helping to restore Ramsgate’s heritage buildings

36 Creative writing – your wonderful words on the subject of “hidden treasures”

37 Birdwatch – it’s a rare treat to spot one: the snow bunting

38 Unsung hero: David Proderick, and his voluntary work for Citizens Advice

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The Granville Hotel

The Architectural Heritage Fund (AHF) has awarded Heritage Lab CIC a Crowdfunding Challenge Grant towards their Pugin Studios project to repair and convert the ground and lower floors of the Granville Hotel for community use. In order to save the Granville Hotel in Ramsgate for future generations, Heritage Lab CIC is going to be launching a crowdfunding campaign this November in line with the Crowdfunding Challenge Grant. The Architectural Heritage Fund have said if they manage to raise £25,000 they will match it. “The more we raise from grants and donations, rather than borrowing, the cheaper space will be for artists and the community,” explains Heritage Lab CEO Rob Kenyon. Find out more @heritage_lab_ on Instagram, search Heritage Lab Ramsgate on Facebook and @heritage_lab on Twitter. Sign up for their newsletter heritagelab.org.uk/join

Looping the loop

Live performance, theatre and festival producers Looping the Loop are thrilled to be working once more with Jess Thom and Touretteshero to co-produce Burnt Out in Biscuit Land for Thanet from May to June 2023. Jess brought an earlier play to the festival in 2016, performed at Ramsgate’s Pie Factory Music, and is an amazing person: artist, writer and activist for disability. The team will be looking for an associate artist based in Thanet for the project and are also starting up another project… to create a community play. With support from Arts Council England, it’s their first venture into this genre with a huge production planned for 2024 starring people from across Thanet! Find out more loopingtheloopfestival.org.uk

The Modern Boulangerie

We caught up with the Modern Boulangerie just days before it opens the doors to its brand new Harbour Street premises on 8 November. A delivery of cheese had just arrived from Bavaria, Switzerland and more locally Kingcott, as well as stock for the new deli, which will also sell cold meats including hams, salami and prosciutto, along with olive oils, balsamic vinegar and coffee. The deli is the newest addition to TMB’s much-loved bakery which is reopening with a café serving coffee and hot drinks. Downstairs, a newly renovated kitchen hosts the bakery, hot kitchen and pastry kitchen, and will be home to apprentices from Broadstairs Catering College from January. A co-working space, Digital Nomads, will be available upstairs. The project is the realisation of owner and baker George Bellamy-Adam’s ambitions, which have seen him grow from a micro-business, via his Queen Street bakery, now into the impressive Celandine Hall. For latest updates follow facebook.com/ themodernboulangerie

The Granville Theatre returns

Thanet Council have announced new owners of the Granville Theatre. Zahra and Parisa Tarjomani along with Matt Milchard won the bid with their company Westwood One Ltd, which already runs Under 1 Roof, a kids’ entertainment centre, in Westwood Cross and Canterbury. Plans for the Granville include returning it to its 1940s design with one 600-plus capacity auditorium, regenerating the theatre space, a sea view café and bar, as well as space for exhibitions, co-working and education.

Zahra and Parisa have a theatre background and run Regency Performance Arts CIC and Regency Productions. Matt also has a background in the performing arts with experience in events and touring pantomime. The sisters remember the Granville from childhood, and community is at the heart of their ambition for the project, which will host among other things foreign film and immersive cinema nights, comedy, live music, poetry reading and creative workshops, as well as apprenticeship schemes for young creatives. The trio plan to get the building up and running by April 2023.

Ice House update

Work has begun to replace the Ice House roof, external staircase and access bridge from Jacob’s ladder, as part of major renovations of the building now home to the 6th Ramsgate Royal Harbour Sea Scouts. The work is funded by Sports England, donations from Cllr Karen Constantine, the Roger De Haan Trust, a Go Fund Me page, and volunteer money-raising events. The new roof will make the building water-tight ensuring no further damage. Once the staircase and bridge are replaced, before December, the upper floor can be accessed safely to allow work to start to there. Timber merchants WG Burbridge have donated boards to help rebuild the kitchen floor. Donations can still be made via the PayPal button on the website 6thramsgateseascouts. org.uk or directly to the group

Harbour & Tide

Returning after a successful summer of pop-ups in Broadstairs and our own Addington St, Harbour & Tide’s next venture will see them popping up at Union on Queen Street. Expect everything you need to keep you styled for the coast this season, from socks, gloves, winter swimming costumes and blankets through to incense, soaps and candles. Open from November until Christmas, Monday to Saturday, 9am to 2pm, harbourandtide.com

Family by the sea

An independent workshop studio is the latest addition to Addington Street. Ailish McDonald brings a place for all to enjoy with a strong emphasis on wellness, connection and creative freedom. With her background in supporting families during pregnancy and the early years, expect weekly sessions including creative play, process art for 0-11 year-olds, and parent with baby circles. Sessions can be booked pay-as-you-go or in four-session blocks (with a saving). Weekend workshops include offerings for teens and adults with community process art, educational workshops on adolescence, pregnancy, nutrition and the menopause. Regular weekday free community cuppas are there for all to enjoy and bring connection to all families by the sea. wholeheartedlife.co.uk

wonders, thanks to my hosts who were always keen to explain what was in my glass and how and when to drink it. On one trip to Assisi I ended up holding the petrol can for Giancarlo, my fire-eating archery friend (we were performing in a medieval festival), and, after parading through the cobbled streets, our “payment” was cloudy white wine poured from huge unmarked containers, served with hunks of fresh bread and thick slices of salami. Delicious.

upon moving to Ramsgate to discover that Kent is blossoming with vineyards, with one of the best literally around the corner!

Barnsole Winery is located between Canterbury and Sandwich, though the owners live in Ramsgate. It is close to Richborough Roman fort, where the legions brought the pinot noir vines in 44CE, and which are now being grown at Barnsole. As provenance goes, that is hard to beat!

Writer Gemma Dempsey Illustrator Jade Spranklen

A dose of Ramsgate life from a lady about town

As my regular readers may recall, I am a lover of wine, a love that began once I realised there was more to vino than Blue Nun liebfraumilch. My teenage trips to France and Italy introduced me to a world of oenological

After I graduated college, my first proper job was working for the Wine Society in Stevenage. I remember having to wear my mother’s dress for the interview, as my student wardrobe was comprised of jumble sale purchases and army fatigues from Lawrence Corner in Camden Town. I was interviewed by a man in a pinstripe suit in a room that literally reeked of claret, and it was love at first inhale. I had been hired thanks to my publishing credentials, and as head of marketing I’d receive training about wine as part of my employment. This included regular blind tastings over my packed lunch while sat with colleagues, one of whom was Sebastian Payne, a master of wine. His nurturing opened my mind and taste buds. As a result, my appreciation increased exponentially, thinking not just about its flavour, but where the grapes were grown, the soil type, its angle to the sun and the vintners who lovingly cared for the vines through bitter winter frosts and scorching summers. So it was an utter delight

Harvesting the grapes on what turned out to be the last hot day of summer gave me quite a workout! As I walked through the vineyard I engaged in brief clips of conversations with other volunteers, which we later picked up over a delicious communal lunch, served with a perfect glass of Barnsole wine. As a boutique winery, it is very much a team effort and everyone involved is dedicated, passionate and knowledgeable. To be among these artisan winemakers and to literally see and taste the fruit of their labours was very special. I was already a fan of their sparkling wines, thanks to being taken to Barnsole a few years ago by my friends Alan and Gabriel, but now I will add their pinot noir précoce and róse de noir sparkling to my list of favourites.

While I realise not everyone reading this will like wine, it is hard to beat being outside in nature and observing a tradition that has been in this part of the world for eons. In vino veritas!

NOVEMBER

Prue Cross and Jules Morris

Two ladies from Kent who paint and are promising surprises!

2 – 16 November

Open daily except Monday York Street Gallery, 22 York Street yorkstreetgallery.co.uk

Ramsgate Friday Market

Indoor market every first Friday in Ramsgate, with stalls offering clothing, gifts, sweets, cakes, gifts and crafts.

Centenary Hall, Hardres Street, 10am-4pm, 4 November

@ramsgate_friday_market

Proud to Create

An exhibition created by people who have autism, cerebral palsy, or are partially sighted or profoundly mute/deaf. Sandra Hampton is the teacher/curator and artist in her own right.

4 November – early February

Open Friday 4pm-9pm Saturday 12pm-9pm Sunday 12pm-4pm Eats N Beats 2-3 The Broadway, Addington Street

Winter HotlistWinter Hotlist

Two of a Kind

A joint exhibtion from Christine Wright and Madeleine Lawal. Their work with pets and wildlife complement each other. 8 November – 3 December

Turner Rowe Gallery, 19-21 Harbour Street turnerroweartcentre.com

@turner_rowe_art_centre

Suspended in Time

hArt Art

hArt Group is a collective of professional artists living and working in the south-east, and based in Hythe, working in various materials and styles. 16 – 30 November

Open daily except Monday York Street Gallery, 22 York Street yorkstreetgallery.co.uk

Thanet Light Orchestra Concert

Enjoy music from this informal group of players, some professional, some amateur, who rehearse together weekly in Ramsgate. 26 November, 3pm St. Luke’s Church, Hollicondane Road

Alan Collins

A collection of photographs from this photographer whose subjects include wildlife, live music and landscapes.

6 December – 3 January

Turner Rowe Gallery, 19-21 Harbour Street turnerroweartcentre.com @turner_rowe_art_centre

Ramsgate Friday Market

Ramsgate Arts Barge Christmas Ball

After last year’s sold-out event, the Ramsgate Arts Barge Christmas Ball returns to Ramsgate Music Hall. 10 December Full info and tickets via ramsgateartsbarge.org

Art Deco Canapés and Cocktail Evening

JANUARY In Deep

Jo Turner and Fran Ballard are partners in crime exhibiting glass, ceramics and fine art.

4 – 28 January

Turner Rowe Gallery, 19-21 Harbour Street

turnerroweartcentre.com

@turner_rowe_art_centre

Ramsgate Friday Market

Indoor market every first Friday in Ramsgate, with stalls offering clothing, gifts, sweets, cakes, gifts and crafts.

Jewellery designer Claudia Rice presents her new collection and collaboration with Joni Belaruski, in conjunction with artist and musician John E Cass’s oil paintings and stone carvings. Live music and events to be announced on Instagram.

11 November – 18 December, Friday to Sunday, 11-4pm

The Mascot Gallery, 7 Chatham Street @rgm_themascotgallery @claudiarice @johnesculpture @jonibelaruskI @45original @mugbox

DECEMBER Silverland Studios Annual Exhibition

Over two advent weekends Joe Allen and Christine Henn show new works and works that show their development in a preChristmas atmosphere. 3 – 11 December Arch 18, Military Rd joe-allen.de

Indoor market every first Friday in Ramsgate, with stalls offering clothing, gifts, sweets, cakes, gifts and crafts.

Centenary Hall, Hardres Street, 10am-4pm 9 December @ramsgate_friday_market

Get into the Christmas spirit at this evening soirée surrounded by vintage treasures and canapés by Nomada. Pick up a Christmas gift while you’re at it – get 20% discount if you wear an art deco piece. Limited numbers so early booking essential.

14 December Stories and the Past, 84 Queen Street Instagram @staceydoesvintagegoode

Centenary Hall, Hardres Street, 10am-4pm

6 January

@ramsgate_friday_market

Art <100

Various artists exhibiting affordable art.

31 January – 25 February

Turner Rowe Gallery, 19-21 Harbour Street

turnerroweartcentre.com @turner_rowe_art_centre

1 Addington Street, Ramsgate, CT11

Wednesday

A batter bite

Writer Laura Nickoll Photographer Jaron James

A town without a chippy is like Christmas without Santa, especially on the coast. Grasping your piping hot fish and chips, cowering as predatory seagulls go in for the kill, is quintessentially British, and in Ramsgate we are spoilt for choice

It is thought that battered and deepfried fish came to our shores thanks to the Sephardic Jews migrating from Portugal and Spain in the 16th century, and this delicious pescaíto frito was paired with chips in London by street-food vendors in the 1800s. Before long, it was dubbed Britain’s unofficial national dish: during World War II, Winston Churchill declared that fish and chips must never be rationed, they were key to maintaining British morale.

In a recent (non-scientific) Facebook poll I asked locals to share their top spots. It left me in no doubt that this institution is positively thriving here, and the National Federation of Fish Friers’ statistics show this mirrored across the country: there are 10,500 chippies in the UK, and 22 per cent of the population visit a fish and chip shop every week.

As the food landscape has diversified over the years, chippies have remained a thrifty and hugely popular source of nourishment for many. Aware of the cost-of-living crisis and despite soaring bills, local fish and chip shops are doing everything they can to keep their food affordable for the local community, often going the extra mile to help those in need. In turn, as Ramsgate resident David Cregan reminded me, “These are tough times, and our chippies need support.” I talked to some of Ramsgate’s much-loved chippies about life in the trade.

Newington Fish Bar Award-winning fish and chips with community at its heart

Opened in 1980 by brothers Ken and Nigel Derrett, Newington Fish Bar barely resembles the humble local takeout it once was. Nigel thinks of the place as a “professionally run catering establishment”, not just a chippie, and the siblings’ ambitions and passion from the outset have transformed it into one of the best fish and chip shops in the country. The Fish Bar was recently listed as a UK Top 20 finalist in the 2023 National Fish and Chip Awards (the industry equivalent to the Oscars) and was the only place in the south-east to make the cut.

Ramsgate Fish & Chips

Much-loved local that “keeps it simple”

Twenty years ago, Tony Bratch graduated from university and moved to Ramsgate from Gravesend with his brother. They opened the convenience store Victoria Express. Soon after, as Tony recalls, “We started looking for a fish and chip shop, but couldn’t find one, so we thought why not build one.” After transforming part of the shop into a chippy, Tony completed a course with the National Federation of Fish Friers and Ramsgate Fish & Chips opened in 2013. In under a decade Tony and his team have earnt an enviable reputation for serving some of the best chips in town, made with local potatoes, which are chipped, blanched and fried fresh to order. Online ordering for local delivery has been a boon, and they go out of their way to serve their community. “Every Thursday I deliver to nearby care homes, or to those who have mobility issues,” explains Tony. “We try to help out where we can.”

USP/MUST-HAVES: Crispy chips, and more chips!

Takeaway only, closed Sundays 29 Victoria Road Facebook: ramsgatefish&chips

Nigel is proud of efforts to reduce the business’s carbon footprint. “We don’t use plastic anymore,” he says, “and all our fish comes from sustainable stocks of traceable MSC [Marine Stewardship Council]-certified fish.” A product traceability board at the counter tells customers exactly where everything has been sourced. Newington’s lucky residents – and many who travel specially – praise its hospitality and commitment to community as well as its first-rate fish and chips. In 2021 and 2022 they provided thousands of free hot meals to children in the school holidays, and charitable fundraising is a regular feature, for school fairs, RNLI events, and the Alfie Gough Trust, among many others. Beyond the frier basket, there’s a griddle menu that has borne some instant classics, such as their speciality grilled “steakwich”.

USP/MUST-HAVES: Their awardwinning classic fish and chips, grilled “steakwich”, burgers made from Kentish beef

Click and collect online, phone or in-person, restaurant and takeout Closed Sundays 55 Newington Road Facebook: thenewingtonfishbar Website: newingtonfishbar.com

Shakey Shakey Traditional Fish Bar

Family-run crowd-pleaser going the extra mile

Shakey Shakey set up shop in Ramsgate in 2015, after moving from Herne Bay. “The universe brought us to Ramsgate and we couldn't be happier,” says coowner Fidz. “Being a small family-run business allows us to connect and develop a personal relationship with our customers and the local community.” The shop has a pinboard displaying local events and businesses, and a photo board filled with Polaroids of locals, their pets “who visit us for a hello or a sausage!” and musicians from around the world who've dropped in. “It's great to see all those faces who have had a beautiful impact on our Shakey Family journey,” says Fidz. Three separate menus cater for various dietary requirements, and their Shakey Shakey seasoning is so famous that they ship it nationwide and overseas. “The most popular dish is our fish and chips with a side of our homemade tartare sauce, closely followed by tofish (tofu fish) and chips and our homemade vegan doner wrap,” says Fidz. According to People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), Shakey Shakey was the first traditional chip shop in the country to offer a vegan menu and an ever-increasing volume of vegetarian and vegan customers are capitalising on their specialities.

USP/MUST-HAVES: The Shakey Shakey seasoning, student meal deals, salt and pepper squid, mushy pea fritters, battered Oreos, selection of vegan snacks, tofish

75 High Street Facebook: shakeyshakeyfishbar

“Us coeliacs are just treated like normal people”

sauce“Theircurry best”isthe

“Fresh, deliciousand servedwitha smile”

Sunrise Fish & Chips

Town-centre favourite that keeps it classic

Owner Elena Demireva graduated from university in Turkey in 2009 and came to the UK to join her fiancé who was learning English at the language school. Elena and her now husband Radi opened Sunrise Fish & Chips ten years ago. “We both enjoyed cooking and wanted to start our own business, and we love providing people with quality, clean and delicious food,” Elena says. All their fish is fried fresh to order in British rapeseed oil, and they make a point of welcoming locals, offering discounts to local schools and businesses. “We always have special offers for local language schools, discounts for local businesses, schools and nurseries,” says Radi. Their hospitality has won them a devoted fan-base.

USP/MUST-HAVES: Spam fritters, discounts for senior citizens, calamari

Dine-in and takeout, closed Sundays 22 Queen Street

Peter’s Fish Factory Out and out traditional seaside chippy

When you can hear the waves from the counter, it seems a shame not to embrace the elements once safely in possession of your salt-and-vinegared sustenance. If Thanet’s climate has other ideas, you can dine in (and join the debate about whether the fish sculpture hanging from the ceiling is a swordfish or a marlin).

Peter’s Fish Factory, the second of John Curtis’s chippies – Margate is home to the original –opened in the early 90s and has been thriving ever since. “The best thing about this place is meeting all our customers and having a chat,” says manager Carl. He feels fortunate to have a backbone of staff who’ve stayed loyal over the years. “We’re one big family, and customers pick up on that.”

USP/Must-haves: Cod goujons and chips for under £5, mushy pea fritters and chip butty

Dine-in and takeout 96 Harbour Parade Facebook: petersfishfactorymargate

And the rest...

Locals also praise The Golden Plaice/ Golden Fish Bar on Hereson Road for its vast portions and “ace food”: “I used to get my nan the child’s portion as it was so big … and I got to pinch a few chips, too.” And Delicious Fish Bar on the St Lawrence High Street gets high praise too: Zafar, whose family ran a fishing business in Cyprus, ran chippies in London and Herne Bay before settling in Ramsgate in 1982. He takes pride in serving “fish and chips old-style” – locals commend his food for its “generous portions” and “excellent value for money”.

“The fish is always cooked fresh, crispy batter, beautiful…”

“The best fish and chips around for sure!”

LIFE OF PIE LIFE OF PIE

Writer Nicola Wren

Bring out the birthday cake –Pie Factory Music is celebrating twenty years of helping Ramsgate’s young people make positive change as individuals and in the community. The charity’s success has seen its reach extend across Thanet to Dover, and with ever evolving plans there’s lots to celebrate. Hip, hip, hooray!

Pie was formally set up in 2002 as a small, charitable music organisation providing lifeenhancing creative opportunities for young people in Thanet. By carefully listening and responding to the needs of those who have come through its doors, the charity has been growing consistently ever since. I dropped in on a Tuesday evening and was inspired to discover just how many pieces of this pie there are.

The centre brims with energy; there is bright graffiti on walls behind

posters and sign-up sheets, young people buzz around the various rooms, chatting confidently with their peers and leaders. Here they are free to explore their potential as a group and as individuals, not only to make music but also enact positive change within their local community and beyond. In the space of just one evening they can rehearse a musical number in the band room (tonight it’s “Zombie” by the Cranberries) then discuss how they can support a local care home through their weekly volunteer group ACT (Action Community Thanet).

ACT is led by young volunteers and their enthusiasm is palpable. In the last year alone the team have organised a funfair fundraiser and regular litterpicks, and are now in the thick of organising a big sleepout, which will see them raise money for Thanet Shelter and Support by sleeping outside for one night this winter. Holding court at the meeting is 15-year-old Lois, who came to Pie through its one-to-one creative wellbeing scheme for those who may be intimidated by group sessions. Lois wrote a rap about her experience of being bullied at school and Pie helped her to record it. She then joined ACT, where her social life and confidence has flourished. Stories like this are ten-apenny here.

Many of the leaders benefitted from the charity as young people themselves, before moving up through its internships to become permanent members of staff. Pie’s managing director of eight years, Steph Dickinson, first got involved at the age of 15 through taking free guitar lessons at the space which is now Big Jelly Studios. She went on to train with Pie as a freelance workshop and programme leader, before going full time and taking the helm in 2012. At that time, funding for the arts was suffering, so in order to become more sustainable Pie decided to expand into the wider world of youth work. By 2013 Pie Factory was commissioned by Kent County Council to start running open-access youth provision across Ramsgate. It moved from Big Jelly



Amy True and friends workshop at Pie 2019

Studios to the larger, council-owned building in St Lawrence, Ramsgate. By 2017 it was servicing the whole of Thanet District and the District of Dover.

There is a lot of excitement among the team around their most recent programme, Open Arms, a Friday evening session for young, unaccompanied asylum seekers and refugees. Funded by the NHS and created specifically to provide a safe, inclusive space where participants can relax, socialise and enjoy games and activities, the evening includes music, art, games, cooking classes and more. They’ve recently partnered with Discovery Planet in Ramsgate to hold a range of science workshops too. Pie also offers a course in bicycle maintenance, organises regular outdoor activity residential trips to Wales, and in 2020 it crowdfunded Soundcheck, a free counselling service for young people. Steph says, “We’ve got counsellors who are really diverse, both racially and in their gender identity and sexuality, which were the two big things that young people were saying they really need to talk about but don’t know who to talk to.” Pie has also teamed up with local schools to provide additional pastoral support, which has felt particularly necessary post-pandemic

as many students have struggled to integrate back into school life. Meanwhile the music and creative arts programme at Pie is thriving. In 2021 the Wantsum Music? youth record label was launched, with local duo Debdepan recording and releasing their debut single “Darkest Hour” this September. The label is a product of the two-year Emerging Artists Programme which provides a weekly space for 18 to 25-year-olds starting out in the music industry, helping them to build a network, learn from industry professionals and hone their craft. So far 23 young people have been supported in their journey to become independent artists since the

programme began in 2018. There is also the Girls Programme, where girls and non-binary 13 to 18-year-olds can come and develop their musical ability and understanding of the industry in a safe space which, historically, has been particularly challenging for female artists to navigate. Members of the group have learnt performance and sound engineering skills, performing at Ramsgate Music Hall, the Gulbenkian in Canterbury, Rosslyn Court in Margate and Screaming Alley cabaret events, and connected with local musicians and industry experts.

Looking ahead, Pie aims to continue to improve the lives of young people, and Steph stresses an important part of that is “continuing to involve them in the running of the organisation and on our boards so that they have a stake in what we’re doing at every level”. One of the members of ACT became a trustee in 2021. This ethos, combined with the charity’s experience and growing influence, is the perfect recipe for invoking change on a wider scale, at local authority and government level, and is certainly worth cheering on.

info@piefactorymusic.com

Instagram @piefactorymusic piefactorymusic.com

“Young people buzz around the various

confidently with

and leaders”

 Performers at a Young Producers’ gig at Dreamland 2019 ©Steve Kreeger

OUR CHANGING HIGH STREET

Writer Christabel Smith

Last year, Ramsgate was awarded £2.7 million to invest in the High Street. Now, as a panel is established to channel the funds into projects to help improve the town for all the community, we meet the consortium helping to make the decisions

to engage with culture, not just because culture brings joy but because it stops you being passive, it makes you think.

I want to see a starting point to connect the many disparate groups and individuals in Ramsgate who desperately want to help make change, moments of joy and enquiry in the town centre, and new people coming forward to help make stuff happen.”

Owner of The Wooden Box gallery and coffee shop on the High Street

“When I moved here 25 years ago, the High Street was a busy, vibrant place. I want to bring back some pride, make it a pleasant space to be, somewhere people come to visit, shop and meet friends.”

REBEKAH SMITH Town Promoter

Ramsgate is going through rapid change, with an increasingly diverse demographic. My hope is that I can contribute ideas towards a culture of inclusion, as far too often the word ‘diverse’ doesn’t necessarily include ethnic global majority people or LGBTQIA+ who are living and working in our community. I also feel that cultural activity in Ramsgate often doesn’t reach out to those born and bred here, which creates divisions across the community. We need to seriously consider what heritage and community means within Ramsgate and HSHAZ is an opportunity to start a discussion on what that looks like.

I hope the Ramsgate Cultural Consortium, as a group of people with positive intent and a clear mandate, can be one of the many initiatives that are creating opportunities and a sense of pride for all who live and work here.”

NIKKI HILDESLEY

“Men didn’t love Rome because she was great,” said the writer and philosopher GK Chesterton.

“Rome was great because men loved her.” He may have been referring to Pimlico in the 19th century, but his words apply just as well to 21st-century Ramsgate.

We all know how much we love our town and want its neglected areas to be nurtured. Now, thanks to the High Street Heritage Action Zone (HSHAZ) scheme, exciting plans are afoot for its heart. The High Street’s fortunes have fluctuated over the years, yet with its partial pedestrianisation, fabulous old buildings and winding course from park to harbour, it is the envy of many other communities.

In October 2022, Thanet District Council (TDC) agreed to move forward with plans using funds from the £2.7 million Future High Street Fund grant, secured in May 2021. Stand by for improved accessibility, more workspace for creative industries and empty buildings being brought back into use.

LUCIA TANNER

Regeneration project manager, TDC

“HSHAZ aims to reinvigorate our High Street by grant-funding conservation and improvement projects and will run until March 2024. The linked Cultural Programme is also funded through Historic England, and

has its own funding stream, specifically to develop a programme of cultural activities on the High Street.

Since being created through an open call-out to local representatives, RCC has successfully secured funds for a number of proposals which will be delivered in 2023. Opportunities for engaging with this programme should be popping up on your social media and around the town over the next weeks.” lucia.tanner@thanet.gov.uk

While we eagerly await further details in the coming weeks, we meet some of the members of the Ramsgate Cultural Consortium (RCC), selected by a Council panel having applied to an open call, and ask why they got involved and what they hope to achieve.

SUZY HUMPHRIES

Producer of theatre and events, until recently owner of Nice Things gallery and shop

“I got involved in the RCC because all the projects, development and work I’ve done since arriving here in 2008 have been about supporting Ramsgate. I want to make people think, look and question, to develop the town’s cultural landscape and provoke its people

“I am the other ‘Rebekah with a K’ in this group of passionateabout-Ramsgate people! I moved here in 2006 and immediately fell in love with the town. Part of my Town Promoter role is to work with local businesses and encourage visitors, residents and investors to support Ramsgate, so I was delighted to be asked to join this group of volunteers who have such a positive stance on how we can celebrate life here. Our enthusiasm is for developing creative projects that celebrate Ramsgate’s history and diversity, making this lovely, lively town such a great place to be.”

SABINA DÉSIR

Artistic director and producer of the Ramsgate-based Heritage and Arts Organisation Freedom Road Project

“Freedom Road Project is committed to producing projects centring on hidden or untold stories of Black and other marginalised groups of people in Kent and across the UK. We do this through music, art, film, photography and live performance. Many of you will know me through my work as a vocalist with long-time collaborator Jessica Lauren.

“One of our objectives has always been to animate and enliven any space we take over. Adding some colour and offering an opportunity to learn something new is a good start for any community business!

I got involved because I think this lovely, historic High Street has so much potential. I didn’t want this to be another local project with minimal output and thought if I joined up with a team of good people, who felt the same way, we could start to put in place the changes needed to give it a bit of a facelift.

Our priority is to attract and involve local people and local businesses. We’ll be the hub that can offer advice and support to enable local people to get the financial support they need to produce good work that improves the High Street for everyone.”

ELINOR SEATH Cultural Consortium co-Ordinator

“This initiative is a way of regenerating high streets and celebrating their heritage. While the focus is on the pedestrianised part of Ramsgate High Street, part of the programme will be to link in with and support existing events, with plenty of local young people’s voices in the mix. I’ll be at Discovery Planet on Friday 2 December to chat to anyone wanting to find out more and there’ll be free 10-minute aromatherapy massages too!” elinor.seath@thanet.gov.uk

REBEKAH SUNSHINE

©Richard Birch

Co-Director of Discovery Planet, a science communication community-interest company, based on the High Street

WINDS OF CHANGE

Writer Gabriella Griffith Images courtesy of London Array

British homes, displacing around 900,000 tonnes of CO2.

We’ve been talking about London Array’s role in helping the UK manage the current energy crisis. Despite being a local source of renewable energy, there’s only so much the offshore wind company can do to reduce our bills. “Our role in this is to keep producing as much power as we can because, ultimately, price is driven by supply and demand in the market,” says London Array general manager, Bob Smith. “But it’s the big energy companies setting the prices.”

It is a beautiful, calm morning at London Array’s Military Road headquarters. There’s not a cloud in the sky as a crew of seven technicians wearing high-vis suits and helmets slowly make their way to their boat. They are about to make the hour-long journey out to one of London Array’s 175 wind turbines, where they’ll climb from the boat onto a ladder at the base of the turbine, access the lift to the top and begin work.

“Today is a good day to access the turbines,” explains London Array’s head of operations, JJ du Plessis. “The boat will stay nice and still as they climb off. But it’s a bad day for wind! Our full potential output is 630 megawatts but today we’re only offering the grid 10.2 megawatts so we’re not the solution this morning.” Over a year, however, the site generates enough electricity to power around 500,000

London Array’s 175 turbines are situated 20km off the Kent coast in the outer Thames Estuary – when the wind farm was first built in 2012 it was the biggest in the world. Bob explains that the location was chosen because it is on a sandbank, the shallow waters making it slightly easier to do something on this scale for the first time.

While it is no longer the biggest, it is the first of its kind and continues to provide best practice for the burgeoning industry. “As it progresses we’re learning things first and sharing that knowledge with the industry,” says Bob. “We’re driving down the cost of offshore wind across the world with the learnings we’re picking up here.”

All of London Array’s operations are run out of its Ramsgate hub. It employs 100 people permanently – a mix of highly skilled engineers, technicians and office operations teams. In the summer months, when the weather is more suitable for large-scale repairs, ►

As energy prices soar, and the climate crisis looms large, could Ramsgate’s green energy sector and off-shore wind offer part of the solution to global problems on our doorstep?

the group of 70 technicians doubles in size, supported by an influx of technicians from across the country. “The standard maintenance teams, the guys who drive the boats and our office teams are all locals, it’s very much a Thanet affair,” says Bob.

Energy supplied by the turbines is carried via 187 underwater cables to one of two offshore substations, before being carried to the onshore substation at Cleve Hill, near Graveney, north Kent. Here it is fed directly into the national grid. The role of the Ramsgate hub is largely to accommodate the near constant maintenance of the turbines, which are now ten years old. The technician teams travel to and from the turbines every day, taking their short breaks and eating lunch high up in what’s called the nacelle, where the gearbox and generator controls are housed, at the centre of the 58 metre long blades.

“It’s a very inspiring experience just going on the boat to the plant and seeing them all around you,” says Smith. “They’re all one kilometre apart but it feels like you’re surrounded. Each is bigger than the London Eye – they’re pretty substantial.”

With Vattenfall, the company that runs the Thanet Wind Farm which has 100 wind turbines next door, Ramsgate has become a small hub for offshore wind – looking to the future, it could

become even more. “We’ve been talking to the council about the creation of a sort of centre of excellence for green energy, here in Ramsgate,” says Bob. “We could create an outpost for universities, offer a range of apprenticeships – not just for wind farms but green activity in general, which could benefit from the talent pool we would build up. There’s a huge opportunity here.”

London Array is already active within the community, speaking at local schools about what it is like to have a career in offshore wind. As well as going into the schools, it hosts stands at career days and supports the likes of National Science and Engineering Week which takes place in March. “One of my highlights of the four years I’ve spent here is the community work,” says Bob. “We provide good, long-term, highly paid jobs for people here. Giving back and being part of the community matters. We focus on speaking to children because they’re the future of the industry and if we inspire them, they might come and join us.”

With the government facing increasing pressure to meet net zero and energy security targets, offshore wind is set to continue growing in importance for the UK. “The thing that bonds us all together at London Array is that we’re changing the world,” says Smith. “We’re producing green energy. That’s enormously powerful.”

A WORLD OF DISCOVERY

Writer Poppy Britcher Images courtesy of Pete Bateson

Meet the grassroots organisation – an all-female powerhouse – behind Ramsgate’s most exciting science offering. Supported by University of Kent, Discovery Planet runs familyfocused, hands-on science workshops all year round –and there’s more to come!

You are probably familiar with Discovery Planet’s colourful shop front on Ramsgate High Street. However it took almost ten years of pop-up events and community engagement for the group to find its permanent home. Through their hard work, and thanks to an inflatable astronomy dome courtesy of University of Kent, Xanthe, Nikki and Dr Victoria (pictured below) curated a unique and innovative science event in Ramsgate’s King’s Theatre in 2013. With backgrounds in community regeneration, TV production, and as a University of Kent lecturer in physics

respectively, the team put on an educational event, open to the public and aimed primarily at adults. It was a huge success, with people travelling from as far afield as London and Maidstone to attend. “We awoke the curiosity of a lot of people,” says Nikki. Since then the aim has remained the same: to bring the joy of and interest in science to the people, and for it to be as accessible as possible. “It feels like we’ve hit on the golden recipe,” says Xanthe, “a really receptive, enthusiastic community, a grassroots community group that’s put in the work and built up the trust to connect local people with the most important bit of the puzzle: the university with the scientific knowledge.”

Before moving into its permanent home in February 2020, the team put on over 30 events, including one about clean energy in the old Ramsgate fire station, as well as pop-ups in shop spaces, market stalls, churches and more. These have all been funded by individual grants and have been free to access, an ethos that continues today.

Ramsgate may be the home for this project by circumstance, but the team recognises just how valuable it is as an educational enrichment resource for local schools and families. Where people face barriers to participate in activities, which may be financial or circumstantial, Discovery Planet works to solve these challenges. With the benefit of their educational grants

and partnership with the University of Kent, the project is able to bring equipment and practical opportunities to school children and family groups to enhance their enjoyment and access to science. “The main thing about the shop,” says Xanthe, “is it fits really well with our model of making it completely accessible; its [location] weaves it into [people’s] lives.”

The space has also given the team greater flexibility on the type of workshops they produce, allowing them to better cater to the community they serve. Recent updates include newly instated “quiet sessions” on a Thursday and Saturday morning, better suited to children with special educational needs, as well as having visits from almost every local school. Upcoming workshops include sessions on electricity, the heart, and building skills, as well as a collaboration with local independent special needs school, Small Haven.

Expanding within the neighbourhood, Discovery Planet recently held workshops with Arts in Ramsgate (a community arts centre located just opposite), combining arts and the

sciences to create a “learning hub” at the upper end of the High Street. Discovery Planet is keen to build more relationships with local businesses and organisations, enthusiastically welcoming those interested – the team are even offering to develop workshops for other organisations, eager to share their hardearned community standing.

With five podcasts in the works for Ramsgate Radio, a film being made, six workshops already released and with five more in partnership with the university to come, their work is far from done.

“It’s the people’s faces when they leave,” explains Victoria, when asked what keeps them motivated. “And the squeals of excitement,” Nikki adds

Get involved: Are you a local organisation interested in collaborating?

Are you interested in using the space for your own organisation?

Want to volunteer?

Contact Discovery Planet:

MEET THE MUSICIAN

Writer Andrew Flood

Donna McKevitt is a vastly accomplished composer in the fields of TV, film, dance and concert, to such an extent that you may have even heard her pieces without realising. From her attic studio in Ramsgate, Donna explains the method to her craft

What led you down your career path? Was music a part of your childhood?

None of my family were musicians. I was about four and I got hold of a recorder, taught myself how to play it and I would sit at home and improvise tunes like Mozart and classical things. Then when I was about seven, a lady came around to my school offering violin lessons. I put my hand up because I was just so crazy about music. But she told my mother, “Oh, Donna will never be a violinist, she hasn’t got what it takes.” My mum was really annoyed with her, so she basically made her teach me. We didn’t have a lot of money and had to convince my dad that it was a good idea to hire a violin. That was the beginning. She was actually quite right, I was really shocking at the violin!

You then went on to study viola and voice, gaining a degree in music from Kingston Polytechnic.

When I changed over to viola at 14, that’s when I really started to play properly and that’s been my instrument since then. I started voice training when I was about 16. I went to Richmond College and then Kingston Poly. I didn’t like it but I suffered it. I was already making money as a professional musician, so I was quite busy. Then in my last year, I joined the band Miranda Sex Garden, and that’s when I met my vocal teacher Linda Hurst. I remember Michael Nyman wrote a piece of music for us and I sang it at the Royal Festival Hall with her and Sarah Leonard. It was a promotion for the film Prospero’s Books. It was in 11/8 time and I remember it was the most difficult piece of music I’ve ever seen or sung in my life. Somehow I managed it!

Donna McKevitt

Miranda Sex Garden was your first musical project, a group you formed with fellow students. What journey did this take you on?

I was in that band for over three years and we recorded three albums together. I wasn’t in the original group discovered by Barry Adamson (Magazine/Nick Cave); I joined when one of the original members left. We were a madrigal group, but in order to carry on being part of the Mute Records family, we needed to develop our sound and where we were going. We got some other musicians in, Trevor Sharpe and Ben Golomstock, and we created this insane fusion. It was a very noisy band to be in though. We didn’t have a lot of budget in the early days for rehearsal rooms. I remember we were in Westbourne Park in this tiny little hovel trying to write Iris, the first EP, and we couldn’t hear anything. We just sat there with our fingers in our ears the whole time with Trevor bashing away on his drums and Ben making all this deafening feedback noise. But it was fun.

Already, in your early days, you were collaborating with the likes of Nick Cave, Tricky and Michael Nyman. That’s an impressively broad and accomplished mix. How did these connections come about so soon in your career?

I sang on one of Nick Cave’s albums and did some other work with him. It was

only after I left Miranda Sex Garden that I got the gig to work with Tricky. I flew out to Jamaica to write and record the strings for his second album, but that didn’t really work out too well because Tricky is quite… tricky. It’s a long story… But I ended up spending most of my time on the beach drinking rum punches, as I recall. My whole career has been collaboration. I much prefer it that way. I find that much more interesting than just trying to draw something out of myself.

You worked with Dungeness’s Derek Jarman on his final film Blue and subsequently released a hauntingly beautiful album inspired by his poetry. How did this relationship come about?

When I left Miranda Sex Garden I’d already written some of the music for Derek Jarman’s last film, Blue. His composer Simon Fisher Turner asked us to contribute something. I got the scripts and started looking through them. The first track I set was “I Am a Mannish Muff Diving Size Queen With Bad Attitude” and that’s in the film. I loved doing it so much that I asked Simon if I could carry on, and Derek gave me his blessing to continue. I wanted to get really creative so I left my band and started working on what became the album Translucence. I signed on the dole and wrote every day for five years. The song cycle ended up being 47 minutes long, and my partner at the time would

come home and say, “Have you written anything today, darling?” And I’d say, “Yeah, I changed one note.” It was that kind of process. And then we were really lucky. We got a record deal with Warner Classics and released it on their Teldec label. We had the most amazing musicians involved, like Caroline Day on the cello and Michael Chance, the countertenor. It was a really cool project.

Then Sarajevo called you for a time in the early 00s?

I moved to Sarajevo for a few years and played in the orchestra there and ran an English school. When I came back I was three months pregnant with my daughter and started a whole new musical chapter back in north London. I got my publisher at the time to buy me a studio, basically everything I needed to write music, and I started writing a new album. I used to do that late at night while my daughter was asleep on the bed behind me.

Your artistic outlets seem to be endless and your deserved break in other fields came through working on collaborative projects with artists in other mediums?

Working with photographer Emma Summerton for Vogue was the first time I wrote anything directly for film. Not long after, I got a break. I released an EP in 2015 called Cut and it got sent to Yolande Yorke-Edgell. She runs a company called Yorke Dance and she started the Cohan Collective, with American choreographer Robert Cohan. It was a pilot project, pairing choreographers with composers, and I was one of three composers chosen. It was an amazing two weeks working with a different choreographer and dancers and being led and guided by Robert Cohan and the composer Eleanor Alberga. I was awarded the commission and worked with Charlotte Edmonds, who was resident at the Royal Opera House at the time. We created a narrative piece called Self, which premiered there in 2017. That was the beginning of my writing for dance and it led me to a longer-term collaboration with the choreographer Phil Sanger. We worked on a piece called Nude, which premiered at the Edinburgh Festival a couple of years ago.

You score for dance, film and concert. Does each require a vastly different approach?

The concert aspect is a very different approach. Most of the work that I write for concert is for choir. My first choral commission was from ORA Singers in 2018. That process is very much about concentrating on the text and usually working at the piano with manuscript

©Emma Summerton

and pencil. With dance, it’s much more collaborative. You sit with the choreographer, come up with an idea together and go from there. Most of the time when I work for dance, I use my studio. I work on my computer and might have access to footage of them creating the piece. I can then literally write to their movements. Similarly with film you’re writing to picture, but you’re more at service to what the director needs. Unlike dance, in film music is one of the last things the production team think about. Except when I worked with Mark Cousins on his film The Story of Looking. I met him in Edinburgh and he said, “I want you to write the music for my film.” That never happens. We had a few glasses of wine and he gave me the book The Story of Looking and I read that, went home and started writing. A couple of years later, towards the end of lockdown, we finished the film. I’ve now written another score for him, a film called My Name is Alfred Hitchcock, which just premiered at the Telluride Film Festival in America.

You have also worked with the producer and broadcaster Hannah Peel. Whaat do you think about female representation in the fields of composition and production?

In 2012 Hannah and I created this large-scale ballet for Sadler’s Wells called Compass, which was a community dance project. There were five or six choreographers and dance companies and we had two or three each. I got to work with a group of dancers who had special needs. It was very fulfilling and incredibly emotional. I think there has been a lack of female representation. I think I have suffered as a result of that, but it’s changing. People are realising that women can score films and that they may even have an edge on the men as they’ve been quietly working away in the background and are finally getting to shine. I’ve heard too many times that there aren’t enough women composers but that really is rubbish, there are gazillions of us, we’ve just been ignored for a few hundred years.

What, in your opinion, has been your greatest accomplishment to date?

I’m never particularly satisfied with anything that I do. A typical artist, I guess. I find it really difficult to listen back to things. I guess Translucence, I’m really proud of that. I was 21 when I started writing it and it was a labour of love but it was the thing that made me realise that I was a composer. Reading Derek Jarman’s diaries, especially

Modern Nature, which I highly recommend to anyone, especially for artists to read, gave me permission to call myself a composer and an artist, which I hadn’t really thought of before. I come from a working-class background. We didn’t really think of ourselves in that way, there weren’t many books in the house, it wasn’t an arty environment. I didn’t even know what that was, to be honest.

Does Ramsgate feed into your work?

I love the rough edges of Ramsgate and the industrial feel of it. I love the sea, obviously. Every time I go anywhere that doesn’t have a sea view, I feel a bit claustrophobic. It definitely feeds into my work. We’ve just opened our attic and my studio is at the top of the house and I can see the sea from where I’m sitting right now and it’s really, really inspiring.

How do you unwind or become inspired?

I go to Military Fitness Academy training three times a week on the beach. It’s tough but it’s really beautiful down there with the waves at your feet and sometimes with the moon hanging over the black sea in the evening. I’d be lost without it I think.

Can you tell us what you are working on right now?

I’m working on a new commission from the PRS Foundation, through the composer fund, which I was awarded last year. I’ve decided to set poetry by Uyghur poets to music. I like using my platform to highlight voices that aren’t being listened to. And I think I can safely say that the Uyghurs in Chinese concentration camps are not being heard. There’s a great tradition amongst Uyghur people, that they almost speak in verse and they have this real respect and veneration for poetry and literature. It’s a way for people to express how they feel in a very direct way. It will be a piece for voices and orchestra and will be recorded and released in the next year or two with a concert as well. I’m also working on two features. One is a documentary and the other is a drama starring Pierce Brosnan and Martin Freeman. Both are in pre-production for next year.

The album Translucence is available on streaming platforms

You can find out more about Donna’s work at donnamckevitt.org and twitter @dlmckevitt

STYLE ON THE BEACH

Icould count on one hand how many times I had swum in the cold seas of the United Kingdom before I moved to Ramsgate. Childhood dips in Portobello and North Berwick, that one time in Brighton with a hangover during a heatwave… that’s probably my lot. And then 15 years later I moved to the seaside. I have a very strong memory of my first swim in Ramsgate. My daughter was only a few weeks old and had spent most of her life to that point on my chest. It was a hot August bank holiday and we were hosting some friends. I managed to peel my daughter off me, get into a swimsuit and fling myself in the sea. For the 10 minutes that I sploshed around and floated on my back I felt the freest and most lucid I had in months. What I could not have predicted was that jumping in the sea in the colder months could be even more of a hit.

The winter of 2020 was memorable for many reasons that are too miserable to recount. But, for many, it was the first winter of cold-water swimming. Like many others I decided to just keep going from the summer and see how long I could keep going for. The exhilaration of the cold water, the peacefulness of the sea and the horizon, the hilarity of trying to get dressed as fast as possible when you can’t feel your toes and you have sand stuck to you everywhere, and the friendships solidified while halfnaked on a freezing beach, all of us wondering what on earth we were doing – all of this was addictive.

Fast-forward two years and there is a fully fledged trend for cold water swimming and, unsurprisingly, a whole host of paraphernalia to go with it. For this issue I wanted to celebrate the women who throw themselves into the sea year round, and highlight some of the brilliant products that you can buy locally to make the most of your winter dip. There are UK-made merino hot water bottles and jacquard woven throws by Margate-based Beatrice Larkin, wearable blankets aka Sittingsuits made from recycled plastic bottles and recycled wool blankets from Harbour & Tide. Another Margate brand ROVE offers sustainable and Britishmade knitwear from hats and scarves to gloves and socks. Ramsgate’s growing roster of independent shops are also a great place to pick up some pre-loved knitwear, colourful accessories and stylish winterwear. And for the dip itself, there is sustainable swimwear made from recycled fibres by Davy J, whose double-layered suits and long-sleeve tops will give you a welcome bit of warmth in that wonderful, freezing cold sea.

roveknitwear.com | beatricelarkin.com harbourandtide.com | positive-retail.com thesaltworkscompany.com

Fashion & words Katy Lassen @weseafaces Photographer Ed Thompson

Models Becky, Stella, Michelle, Ala, Corrie, Hollie, Trudi &Bettina Thanks to Emma Lewer

Michelle wears wearable blanket by Sittingsuits and insulated mug by One Green Bottle both from Harbour & Tide.

Scarf by ROVE

Corrie wears jumper by YMC from Positive Retail, knitted hat by ROVE, and wearable blanket by Sittingsuits from Harbour & Tide

Ala wears jumper and trousers by Saltworks, blanket by Beatrice Larkin and hat by ROVE

Becky wears blue knit jumper and trousers by Beaumont Organics from Positive Retail, green scarf from No.36 by SP and hot water bottle by Beatrice Larkin

Stella wears jumper by Acne Studios from Positive Retail, jersey trousers by Saltworks and recycled wool blanket by Tweedmill from Harbour & Tide

Sustainable swimwear by Davy J from Harbour & Tide

Boxing clever

Arriving at the Wooden Box Gallery to interview the fabulously named Rebekah Sunshine (more on that surname later), I’m greeted by the gallery’s ethos writ large on the door: “We all end up in a wooden box, so what we do before we get there is exciting and important.” Rebekah always had a “compulsion to make art”, but was only able to fully indulge her passion later in life. After leaving school at 16, she spent four years as a trainee civil engineer, then four studying for a sociology degree, before slowly becoming part of her local

Brighton art scene. When her husband got a job at Pfizer almost 25 years ago, the couple moved to Ramsgate and Rebekah was keen to establish links with the creative community here – the kind of network that she had initially lacked access to.

Rebekah quickly became part of Thanet’s already thriving art scene and is keen to stress that, contrary to some thinking, this corner of the UK has never been a “cultural wasteland”. She held pop-up exhibitions in empty shops, and studied for a BA in fine art in Canterbury before starting a PhD. In 2008 she set up and managed the Sunshine Child Festival which ran for five years. Working with the University of Kent, amongst many other organisations, the festival offered arts-based developmental opportunities and activities benefiting hundreds of families who came to events held at Manston airport.

In her own practice, Rebekah started a project documenting individuals’ secrets almost ten years ago. It quickly morphed into secrets of a sexual nature. Her contacts “wanted to continue the conversation” and Rebekah felt she needed to train to work with them appropriately, studying psychosexual counselling and cognitive behavioural coaching to find the best fit for each client. “Clients have different issues but learn, heal, reflect and grow in very,

Writer Russell Chater

The Wooden Box Gallery is celebrating its first birthday with the opening of the Wooden Box Café just opposite. The Recorder meets founder Rebekah Sunshine, who is showcasing local creativity and helping regenerate the upper end of our High Street

Images courtesy of The Wooden Box

very different ways,” she says. Letting the client lead gives them “a sense of empowerment, self reliance, control and strategy”. What we show, what we hide, and who gets to decide was the title of one of Rebekah’s exhibitions, and it is easy to see how it applies to all her roles: “For me, art is about feeling like you have permission to make work and have your creative and emotional needs met.”

Coaching from an office in Canterbury, Rebekah was keen to find a space in Ramsgate for a new office and exhibition space. When a suitable building came up, she and a builder friend became partners, sharing the costs (no funding has been received to

date) and workload to transform it into the gallery we see today. The space has seen numerous shows during its first year – working closely with the local community. “It’s a fantastic opportunity to give people who’ve come to art later in life a chance to show others what they can do,” says David Adler, an amateur artist who has exhibited. “She is a great collaborator and curator,” says professional artist Christopher Tipping, albeit one who was often covered in paint, plaster and sawdust as a result of her work on the café. “We laughed a lot. I watched her talking to people who came in… all were welcomed and the conversation was flowing.”

However, Christopher says the gallery endeavour “isn't about compromise. Her aesthetic is fine-tuned… Her energy is infectious and her love of Ramsgate undiminished”.

Although Rebekah never planned to open a café, when the building directly opposite became available, it was too good an opportunity to turn down. The Wooden Box Café will showcase local artwork, including one-off works by local artists who might not have a full body of work for an exhibition. Rebekah feels that visitors might also feel less “intimidated” viewing and discussing art in a café environment. The hope is that the space will further encourage people to network and bring in money to help fund further projects. Becoming a funder for others is Rebekah’s dream role.

On the subject of funds, Rebekah admits that the energy crisis is a worry, and she is saddened by the state of the High Street. However, as a member of the Cultural Consortium (part of the High Street Heritage Action Zone), she is involved in discussions on how to address this. There is also much else to look forward to. She is planning to set up a community interest company to better enable the gallery to work with individuals and charities. Already, Rebekah is getting invited into schools to deliver talks and will be writing workshops for local schools with her

fledgling team of gallery employees. Meanwhile art classes have come to the gallery, with more planned. There is also the prospect of Rebekah taking up a previous offer of a PhD in relation to her coaching – something that has understandably been on hold for the last year.

I ask Rebekah what she has learnt from the last year? “That I need more hours in the day,” she immediately replies, adding that she would love an administrator; dyslexia and ADHD mean organisation is not her forte. She still struggles to call herself an artist, although her confidence is growing. On the subject of what to call yourself, what about that surname? Rebekah reveals that she changed it by deed poll 30 years ago (a result of complex family dynamics). “The name was rebelliously chosen and not one that was passed down with all its accompanying historical baggage,” she explains. It certainly is a name that fits. Rebekah is both a breath of fresh air in an, at times, stuffy art world, and as a particularly bleak winter kicks in, her rays of sunshine are all the more welcome.

thewoodenboxgallery.com @thewoodenboxgallery

Prior to publishing, David Adler sadly passed away

a conversation with lupen crook

Writer Willow Vincent

Born in Medway, Lupen Crook initially made his name as a singersongwriter, developing a reputation for offbeat, poetic lyrics and a DIY, “outsider” ethos. He has now returned to Kent after several years of being thrown around London’s unrelenting carousel

In the six months since settling in Ramsgate, Lupen has dedicated himself to exploring his practice as a visual artist, which has culminated in a new series of oil paintings entitled Little Deaths. This comes from, a French term usually attributed to the post-orgasm experience. But Crook explains, “It’s more than that, it’s about all of the climactic moments we experience in our lives.”

With their lacy patterns and primitive marks, his paintings communicate trauma, catharsis and dreamlike ecstasy through surrealist, bodily imagery. Sitting in his Ramsgate kitchen, being intermittently pestered by a black cat with a habit of climbing on his shoulders, I ask him about his process and plans for the future.

Tell me about what makes this current series of paintings different from your previous work.

I think I’ve had a weird breakthrough. All I’ve dealt with before is what’s literally in front of me, and then I’ve added the magic on top – the psychedelic gauze over a building or a street scene. But the process has now totally flipped. Whether it’s a smoky pink or a murky yellow, colour is the first thing I think about and it’s enabled me to mainline into the emotion behind the painting. Sort of like automatic painting. Colour is primal and pre-thought.

Would you say that your style has become more abstract as a result of this?

Whilst I don’t consider my style to be abstract, my first layers have to be abstract because they are just an emotion via colour, and there’s no form at this stage at all. But it’s also been my gateway

into dealing with the figurative. I’ve rarely painted people, it’s always been buildings and structures, but reducing things to colour, shape and feeling has given me a pathway to explore bodies in my work. After all, we’re all just vehicles of meat and bones, full of lots of other magic.

What role has relocating to Ramsgate played in the development of your art?

For me, London began to feel suffocating. People pretending to be people on top of people struggling to be anyone at all. I couldn’t find a way to fit into that. Coming down here has enabled me to have a bit of creative space, where I can just paint and not worry about a competition or race. There are so many

artists in Ramsgate, doing different things, but we’re all looking at the sea. Painting is a very peaceful and beautiful process, not unlike watching the waves.

Do you have any further upcoming plans to show your work?

When I first moved down to Thanet, I discovered the Pie Factory in Margate and booked an exhibition for May 2023. I currently have a painting from my new collection on display in a group exhibition at Saatchi Gallery, London (until 18 November). I’m starting to develop some ideas for a curated exhibition that will build on the themes from my recent show at the Wooden Box Gallery. I’ll also be releasing new music in 2023.

Crook photographed by Willow Vincent

the cost of christmas

Writer Kirsty Farley

Many of us were probably looking forward to the most “normal” Christmas in what has felt like forever –and I’m sure gearing up to celebrate as abundantly as possible to make up for the lack of shindigs in recent times. That was until the cost of energy not only hit the roof but surpassed it by miles! If you’re pinching the purse strings more than you expected this year, you don’t have to worry as much as you might have thought. Christmas on a budget is doable, and you don’t need to rely on corporate gift deals if you don’t want to!

When it comes to buying presents, even the thrifty among us can have a tendency to splash out. However, as society has moved towards more sustainable habits, most people are more than happy to receive a well thought-out gift over something mass-produced, overpriced, and wrapped in consumer guilt.

There has also been a shift when it comes to kids. There was a time when Christmas was the time to bombard any rosy-cheeked brood with a plethora of gifts ranging from the thoughtful to the completely wasteful, but a good ethos is to employ the five gift rule:

Something they want Something they need Something to wear Something to read Something they REALLY want – a surprise!

Setting a spending limit within the family and your friendship groups can also be a life-saver, ensuring you don’t fall into an overspending spiral. Organising a Secret Santa with friends and colleagues can lighten the load even more. The “Who’s got who?” guessing game brings an element of fun, and budget-setting here is the norm.

There’s also the hidden gem of charity shops. The majority have an array of topquality clothes, accessories and children’s

toys. You might even be lucky enough to find a pre-loved designer fashion piece in Pilgrim’s Hospice, or a bestseller in the RSPCA’s collection of books. Not only will you save money, but you’ll also be supporting a great cause and reducing your carbon footprint.

Setting budgets, reeling in consumer frenzies, and hitting the charity shops are all great of course, but you might be wondering where you’re going to find the outstandingly unique and quirky in Ramsgate. Well, as the selection here shows, Ramsgate retailers have got your back!

If the people you’re buying for aren’t dog lovers or parents, then chances are they’re busy caring for plants, and you can rely on POTTERS to come through for you here. They’ve got some adorable ceramic pots available, as well as hanging baskets and handmade soap, all for under £20. Hanging Ornaments starting at £10 Dried flower bunches £12

MCGILLAN & WOODELL have a lovely array of gifts for under £20, including Ortigia hand cream, art calendars and makeup bags

Ramsgate Tea Towel, £8.50 Ramsgate Fishes Lidded Pot, £18.00

There’s nothing better than choosing something special for the little ones to read. MOON LANE bookshop won’t let you down, with stories such as A Night at the Frost Fair by Emma Carroll for £10.99 and the Maileg Angel Mouse, £14.99. You can purchase some incredible Secret Santa gifts here too – a Paint Your Own Fairy Door craft set is available for just £2.99.

Ramsgate is filled with so many more local places waiting for you this holiday season. Visit ARCHIVE, ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM, ALCHEMY, SUGAR RUSH, POSITIVE RETAIL , HARBOUR & TIDE and BOOK BODEGA, for all your special gifts this year

products

LIMARNI 26 Harbour Street

Glasses cases made on site, £16 Thimble key rings, from £12

BOARD AT HOME 107A High Street Top three games for under £20

1. KINGDOMINO Pick and place domino tiles to create your very own kingdom. Match terrain tiles together and find crowns to score big!

2. GHOST BLITZ A game of fast reflexes and image association. Turn over cards and find the token that matches the card. Be fast as everyone else is looking for the match too!

3. PUZZLE POST Turn your home into a complete immersive escape room experience that makes for the perfect games evening, or personalise it as a gift for a loved one this Christmas

Last but not least, STANLEY GOLDSMITH is retiring from Harbour Street Jewellers. He is the third generation of his family to run the shop, and Stanley has watched his customers grow from children to grandparents themselves. To celebrate his retirement you can enjoy a closing sale in the shop this holiday season

NAILING IT

Writer Lynsey Fox

My first interaction with Damon Mackons followed a question I posted on a national traditional and listed buildings Facebook group when water began dripping into my fireplaces during heavy rainfall. Not only did Damon answer my query, but incredibly he guessed that I lived in Ramsgate by just looking at the photo of my roof and chimney. I was suitably impressed!

Damon’s journey into traditional building works, which includes roofing, plastering, brickwork and pointing, started during his apprenticeship. On a visit to Hampton Court Palace, he observed the restoration of the intricately designed and carved Tudor brick chimney stacks. It was at this moment he decided this was the direction he wanted to take. His first big historical restoration job was in the 1980s when Damon helped restore his mother’s house on Addington Street, the town’s prominent shopping street in Victorian times. He stripped the incorrect paint off the brickwork and

repointed it, rebuilt the shop front and bay window and reinstalled the railings to how they would have been originally.

He loves Ramsgate’s building history and appreciates that he now has the opportunity to see inside the buildings he has admired for years – especially when he sees examples of splendid original features, such as Georgian wood panelling.

Most of Kentish Restoration’s work is replacing the damaging sand and cement or gypsum plaster mistakenly used in old houses (bemoaned by experts everywhere) with traditional lime plaster and rendering. But Damon has many stories of interesting projects in Ramsgate. One was the resurrection of a recently discovered water-harvesting tank in one of the grand Victorian villas on West Cliff Road. Before taps were a common luxury, rainwater would be collected in tanks, usually under the kitchen or washhouse then pumped up to wash clothes. This particular tank was shaped like a vase and cleverly converted into a modern water feature.

Most historical home-owners wouldn’t know that these existed – I want nothing more than to dig up the floors in my own basement to ascertain if one is still there! Not a likely or practical task, but one can dream.

Currently Damon is working on an impressive project in Vale Square, restoring the external mouldings of Vale

Respecting history in style and method is at the heart of what Damon Mackons brings to every project. His company, Kentish Restoration, is determined to restore Ramsgate’s beauty using traditional techniques and materials

Images courtesy of Kentish Restoration

House. It takes time and patience to get it right and to restore them to their former glory. Luckily Damon discovered similar-shaped architectural mouldings at West Cliff Mansions which he has been able to duplicate. By using the current broken pieces he reconstructed the rest freehand using natural Roman cement. “This is the traditional cement which requires skill to be used as it dries in five minutes. People shy away from working with it because of this, but I always replace like for like, using the materials originally used, rather than the modern slow drying cement,” he explains.

Damon is also keen on the nails he finds when working on heritage buildings, some of which can often be 200 years old: “I save the nails I find and if they are in good enough condition, I reuse them on high end jobs where they can be seen and appreciated.

Otherwise I keep the rest for my personal collection.” I recounted to him the time I pulled out a beastly four-inch nail while preparing my stairs for sanding. Among the enormous number of regular-size nails used to hold the carpet in place for centuries, this one felt like it might have held the whole house together! Damon explains: “I like the idea that someone has made them by hand, put a lot of work into it. Most people throw them away but I think they’re a thing of beauty.”

Kentish Restoration prides itself in not only using traditional methods and materials in its work, but also stocking and selling many original building materials used in Georgian and Victorian buildings, enabling others to use the correct and time honoured mediums in their own restoration projects.

kentishrestoration.co.uk

Creative writing: Inspired by Ramsgate’s hidden treasures

Ramsgate’s “hidden treasures” was the prompt for this issue’s call for your creative writing submissions and you haven’t disappointed. From poetry to short stories, we have so enjoyed reading your words capturing the treasures of our town so beautifully

OUR READERS’ TOP PICK

The Westcliff Promenade,

By Tony Wright

Beyond obvious delights (See the cost of a pint at Royal Victoria Pavillion after King George VI rambles or a belly-full of Papa George) stretches the flattest smoothest lanes in Thanet magnetising leads of loyalty hardy runner routines and daydreaming cycles along a coastal crescent of beaches close and far.

With your back to a port as scattered with trailers containers and machines as it is eerily, silently still Pfizer-funded palms, meaning much more now, greet molecules of might.

The might of a Saturday where time runs freely for bowls or paddle boats or lazy afternoon strolls.

The might of Sunday runners citing the bright fresh, cold morning for a new up-hill record rush.

The might of riders attacking the Viking Trail but turning off to Pegwell to spot spooked rabbits run old Hoverport plains quietly reclaimed by weeds.

Whatever’s chanced upon satisfies a pot-holed descent back to arches of antics with whiffs of breakfast beans fuelling biker harbour hangs.

Ramsgate

by Michael Isaacs

If you travelled here by sea, the view from the horizon looked like an angel, with its white cliff wings and feather-like eroded features, each wing flanking either side of the royal harbour.

Inside the welcoming harbour arms sun-drenched shimmering yachts would huddle together like old friends embracing one another.

The royal harbour was often seen as the jewel in the crown of the town.

As my train clicked and clacked slowly over the towering viaduct arch, memories of home consumed my preoccupied mind.

I remembered hearing the haunting echoes inside the labyrinth network of the underground war time tunnels.

I remembered looking out to sea whilst my grandfather spoke about the heroes of Dunkirk. Tales about the little ships sailing on the sea which contained my great grandfather's tears were spoken of, amongst others.

I remembered looking up at the clifftop as four tall giant lollipop structures hypnotically looked back at me with their kaleidoscopic eyes.

I remembered watching the sun settle in sculptured hands as I stood along the westcliff.

I remembered the quaint features of Addington Street, populated by old fashioned lanterns and architecture from days gone by.

I remember meeting peace and tranquillity.

They both were occupants of a beautifully constructed dome shaped glasshouse. An Italian glasshouse and a park's best kept secret.

As I set foot once again in the main hall of the train station upon my return, I was reminded of its beautiful cathedral-like structure. My childhood memories of singing in this majestic hall just to hear my echo sing back made me produce a smile which would be difficult to lose.

This was Ramsgate. This was home.

Ramsgate’s Hidden Treasures by Jo Stevens, extract from a potential novel to be

Celia’s arm was the colour of warm milk. Like the rest of her body, it lay face down, cold, limp and lifeless as the incoming tide licked at her salty toes.

The late afternoon rays slowly probed the shoreline, plucking out lumps of curved chalk scattered across the sand like discarded white molars. Dried mats of fleshy seaweed carpeted swathes of beach reflecting the tidal flow, stretching westwards towards the cliff face. A strip of sun caught the edge of the luminescent swimsuit, gently warming the pale limbs which began to flicker casting warm shadows upon the dampened sand.

High above the startled cry of an abandoned baby herring gull punctured the still autumn sky releasing Celia from her comatose state. One eyelid peeled open, revealing a deep turquoise iris, mirroring the light from her watery gaze. Conscious of the cold burning her feet, the freezing wavelets sent exaggerated tremors through her legs. Celia pulled at the toweling robe buried beneath the small of her back, wrapping it tightly around her shoulders, sending tiny grains of sand ricocheting into the creases of her skin, sticking glitter-like in patches around her face and forearms. Waking up shouldn’t be this hard she thought.

As she gathered the softness closer into her body, fragments of broken shell rattled from her toweling pocket landing in a splintered trail next to her still partially submerged face. Eyes wide open, Celia slowly surveyed the damage of her afternoon’s careful beachcombing. Slowly she picked at the trail piecing together random fragments, like a complex jigsaw puzzle without structure or boundaries. Her efforts were pointless.

She let out an exaggerated sigh, recalling how she had spent the afternoon carefully foraging along the water’s edge. Wading knee deep in tidal pools and risking the snap of claws on her soft fingers, as she blindly fumbled her way through mud-soaked crevices searching. Minutes melted into hours, when at last she stumbled upon the palest saucer-shaped white shells, delicately fringed with strokes of sliver, which had settled beneath the ledge of a rocky pool. Now they were just unrecognisable shards. She gathered the debris up all the same, along with the derelict wiry chain, as they were too precious to let the tide swallow them.

Stretching skywards Celia felt a curved edge nudging her spine. Feeling beneath her, she carefully teased the shape into her forefingers. As she moved it up to the light for a closer inspection, she realised that all was not lost. A smile flooded her face. She squeezed her eyes shut and gently pursing her lips she brushed them against the palest oyster pink pearl. She could taste the sea.

Little did Celia know that fifteen years later she would be re-enacting the whole scene, this time with more significant and far-reaching consequences.

Harbour Embrace by Theresa Thompson

We spy around A town house

From a distant nest Imagining a space

For our children’s rest

Dipping toes in A scene Of artists Painting crests of waves Lifting our gaze

Beyond yet now Roots in the steps Ghostly climbers

Over vivid tiles Diving through Salty memories Held by a harbour Embrace

A promise To

back

FOR

We hope this inspires you to give it a go next time round. Here is a reminder of the rules:

Each issue we will set a Ramsgate-inspired theme and invite your written entries. From prose to poetry, dialogue to journalling, a section of a novel-to-be or a completed short story; if it’s the written word we’ll read it.

Email your submission of up to 500 words info@ brightsidepublishing.com with Creative Writing in the subject line. Please include an email address and phone number so we can get in touch.

All submissions should have a Ramsgate connection, however loose - we are a hyper-local publication after all - and our prompt should help.

While we will be reading all submissions, we may not have a chance to reply to everyone. If your work has been selected for publication we will contact you.

For our spring issue the prompt is “the sands of time” and the deadline is 9 January 2023.

With thanks to our readers, writer and journalist Christabel Smith, and writer and actor Nicola Wren. Join Nicola for one of her writing workshops at Ramsgate’s Union Café which run every first Sunday of the month. To book email writingworkshopsramsgate@gmail.com @nicolawrenwriting

Bird Watch THE

BUNTING

Molly Pickle Writer Keith Ross

In the winter Ramsgate is sometimes visited by a beautiful, small sparrowsized white bird. It is migrating south to escape the harsh conditions where it breeds in the summer around the Arctic Circle, from Alaska, Canada and Greenland to Scandinavia. Though most of our birds come from Iceland a few do breed in the north of Scotland. This bird is called a snow bunting or “snowflake”, very appropriate for the time of year. They usually arrive at the coast around late September, October and leave around February or March. In autumn and winter the birds develop some sandy-coloured patches on

their white plumage, and males have more mottled upper parts. When they fly they do appear mainly white with a touch of black from their wingtips.

The first time I saw one in Ramsgate, many years ago, I was walking along the Eastcliff promenade with snow on the ground. I spotted one busy feeding around the shelters. They hop around looking for seeds and small insects to eat. Another year there was a pair feeding along the Ramsgate Harbour west pier and they were using a small

circular indentation in the stonework that had filled with rain water as a makeshift bird bath. As these birds have probably never encountered a human before, they have little fear and can often come very close to you if you stay still, sometimes just a few feet away.

Further along the coast you sometimes get large flocks arriving. One year there were about 50 feeding in the sand dunes on the beach at Botany Bay; last year there was a small flock on the golf course greens over in Sandwich Bay.

These birds breed in very harsh conditions and are white in order to blend into their often snowy surroundings. Perhaps not surprisingly they have a short lifespan of around three years, so if you do see one you can count yourself very lucky; they are a beautiful and rare visitor to our shores.

If you’d like the chance to see snow bunting and other wildlife I do guided nature walks from Ramsgate to Pegwell Bay. Contact me at keithross1@hotmail.com for more details.

Unsung hero: David Proderick

Writer Emma Cooney (Kent Coast Volunteering)

Long-standing volunteer at local charity Citizens Advice Thanet, David Proderick talks about how he got started, why he does it and how the charity can assist. It is looking for more volunteers to help meet demand

“It’s the most rewarding thing I’ve done,” says Citizens Advice Thanet volunteer David Proderick, who calls the charity “a family”. The former diesel support engineer started volunteering ten years ago when he retired; he says what he missed most was the people.

There were a lot of volunteer driving jobs around, but he had driven thousands of miles for work and wanted something different. Then he remembered his mum was helped by Citizens Advice decades earlier.

“It must have been school holidays because my mum dragged me and my sister along with her,” David recalls. “She was raising two children on her own. My dad was away, and we needed financial help.”

Citizens Advice Thanet is a local charity connected to national organisation Citizens Advice and supports people with advice for everything from benefits, money and housing issues to family, employment and consumer problems.

The Ramsgate resident went along to offer his services and said he could “make tea, book people in and sweep up”.

He was soon learning to be an adviser and says the training is “second to none”.

“The hardest thing to do is walk through the door,” he says. “Sometimes someone comes in crying and we find them an extra £100 a week, and they

cry again. People don’t know what they are entitled to – especially the older people I see. Sometimes people just want someone to listen.”

The 73-year-old from Ramsgate also volunteers at Age UK Thanet, where blue badge claims and benefits calculations are in demand, and he is an escort on a minibus for a church lunch club where he also helps out.

As a volunteer adviser, he says, you help people get through their issues and move forward. And being part of a team is invaluable: “If I don’t know the answer to something, I know where to get it.”

He added: “My wife suffered quite a bit with illness and died about five years ago. During all that time the Citizens Advice family were there for me. There’s always someone there to support you.”

During lockdown, the charity’s phone lines were diverted to his home and a computer set up. “I have to be doing something,” he said. “I was a man living on his own during lockdown. Citizens Advice kept me sane.”

Currently the biggest demand for the team is help with benefits – particularly for people with disabilities or poor health – and with challenging decisions when these Personal Independence Payment claims fail.

Housing is the second biggest issue, with a rise in no-fault evictions and an acute lack of affordable housing – even for people working in the area. The team says the situation is “desperate”.

Citizens Advice Thanet can identify people’s housing rights and options, check the correct procedure is being followed or tell the client what the process is.

They are currently helping a 74-yearold struggling with his health, finances and facing eviction. With such an overwhelming amount to deal with, they offer guidance on each issue and on where to start, stepping in where necessary. Each small win can make a difference.

Recently a 39-year-old parent of three was struggling to make repayments for

council tax arrears and afford to meet the family’s basic living costs at the same time, putting overwhelming strain on their mental health. Citizens Advice helped them apply for a discretionary hardship payment to cover the debt and a fuel voucher to help cover energy bills. The relief was palpable as the pressure eased.

The charity says benefit checks are important to identify whether someone can get more help. Often people don't realise they can have a certain amount of savings and still be eligible for benefits due to low income.

This could be pensioners living on very little until their savings run out who have long been entitled to Pension Credit or someone who has their life turned upside down by illness and then lost their job being entitled to benefits despite their savings.

Citizens Advice can advise on the best way forward and let you know which agencies and organisations can support you. They have an appointment only service at their Ramsgate and Margate offices

Email enquiries@thanetcitizensadvice. org.uk, call 0808 278 7998 or write to Citizens Advice Thanet, 2nd Floor, Mill Lane House, Mill Lane, Margate CT9 1LB – give your contact details for a call back/response

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

Trainee advisers to answer phone calls, emails and meet people face to face. IT skills are essential and full training is given. People with social media skills are also needed. The charity is also looking for trustees. Those with accountancy and fundraising skills in particular are in demand.

Please email volunteers@ thanetcitizensadvice.org.uk

Photograph courtesy of Citizens Advice