Spring 2021 FREE Modern-day Seaside Stories
WHITSTABLE WHISTLER
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A LEVELLED DEBATE
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
RADIO RULES
Safeguarding our coastlines in Seasalter
One café’s mission to end food poverty in Kent
Broadcasting from the Bubble and beyond
AS WHITSTABLE & TANKERTON REOPENS WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU! Shop safely with us and thank you for maintaining social distancing!
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whitstable whistler
Contents
Editorial
Editor Cheri Percy
Acting editor-in-chief
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John Murphy
Founder & Publisher Clare Freeman
Co-founder & Advertising director Jen Brammer
Publishing assistant
Welcome to our first issue!
Emilia Fuller
Design director Lizzy Tweedale
Contributors
From the Editor
Writers
Cheri Percy
elcome to the inaugural issue of the Whitstable Whistler! We made it. Launching something new during a global pandemic was always going to be a challenge. But whenever I’ve picked up a new project, it’s always rooted in community. Whether that’s the DIY touring band I performed in during my twenties, wrangling small-town venues to give us a chance as the opening act, or my time studying in Paris where I founded the inaugural Ladyfest in France’s capital with locals and expats alike. Whitstable, as our columnist Christopher Stone reflects, has always been full of colourful characters who make up the bustling indie high street at the heart of our town.
Even after the year that was 2020, this ethos still seems to stand. I’ve been bowled over by the handson, can-do attitude every business and contributor I’ve spoken to has shown to make this first magazine happen. And the community spirit only continues in the stories we’re sharing in this spring issue. It’s there in the reams of businesses who came together to support our cover stars the Umbrella Café in their mission to end food poverty here in Kent. You’ll find it in the self-starting initiatives featured elsewhere, like Charlotte Cornell’s Top Up To Teach, making homeschooling happen for all, or the guys behind indie broadcasting station Big Bubble Radio. And it’s nestled deep in the conscientious discussions of preserving our natural coastlines, as Duarte Figueira weighs in on the Seasalter Levels debate on page 10. As Umbrella Café co-owner Jo Verney says, “The biggest positive through all of this is how we’ve all worked together.” This first issue just wouldn’t exist without the inspiring business-owners, makers, and creators that make up its pages. Perhaps, that’s why they call Whitstable: the Bubble. Despite a year that brought the world to a standstill, we’ve pushed forward with determination and hope for our little idyll by the sea. Leaving the darkest of winters behind us, come spring we’re ready to sparkle.
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Spring 2021 – April to June
Bess Browning Clare Connerton Guy Deakins Duarte Figueria Lorna Harris Jason House Rebecca Martin Tony Rickson Fay Schopen Victoria Spooner Christopher Stone Annica Wainwright
Photographers
Les Biggs Sheradon Dublin Duarte Figueria Mike Gould Andrew Hayes-Watkins James Routh
Illustrators Jade Spranklen Rebecca Thomas
cover image Anna Mantell, Charlotte Phillip and Jo Verney at the Umbrella Café by Sheradon Dublin
Print Mortons Print
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4 The Scoop – business news and birthdays in the Bubble
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Written in Stone – Christopher conjures up some of our much-missed high street characters
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The Hotlist – from floral crowns to unearthing antiques about town
8 Charlotte’s web – the tech initiative making home-schooling happen in East Kent
10 Seasalter caravan expansion –
Duarte Figueria weighs up the balance between tourism and preservering our coastlines
13 Food for thought – the Umbrella Café
and Food Friends are addressing food poverty, as Rebecca Martin reports
17 Whole different kettle of fish – Annica
Wainwright meets the entrepreneurial foodies launching businesses from their home kitchens
19 Plant power – Guy Deakins finds out
how communal green spaces continue to bloom
22 The power of vitamin sea – one writer
grapples with grief to find a home, and hope, by the harbour
24 A leaf through spring reads – Harbour Books owner Clare Connerton shares the reads that have offered us comfort and escape during the longest winter
26 Radio rules in lockdown – Whitstable’s newest station proves that making connections over the airwaves is as essential as ever
27 Playlist – Big Bubble DJs Steve Graham and Matthew Smith pick their top pop picks inspired by the shift in seasons
29 Going for goal – Tony Rickson tells us about his new novel on the joy of football celebrations
30 Meet the maker – Suki Hayes-Watkins
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THE SCOOP
Nomad Pizza bags prestigious national award Craft pizzeria Nomad Pizza has won the Best Independent Pizza Delivery Award at the PAPA Industry Awards, just four months after opening back in August 2020. The husband-and-wiferun business moved coast to coast during the pandemic, after setting up the Cornish Pizza Company, to lay new roots on the Kent coast where Vicki Crwys-Williams grew up in nearby Canterbury. Canterbury MP Rosie Duffield tweeted of the news, “Congratulations and well deserved.” Jon Crwys-Williams added, “I’m looking forward to the pubs and restaurants opening again in April so we and our staff can have a proper celebration.” IG: @nomad_pizza_whitstable nomadpizzawhitstable.co.uk
New community clothes bank calls for donations
Castellum pizzeria opens on Oxford Street
Local resident Magdalene Tyler-Whittle has set up a community clothes bank, covering Whitstable, Canterbury, Herne Bay and Faversham. With charity shops being shut during lockdown, a lot of unwanted clothes are ending up in a landfill, which is where Tyler-Whittle comes in, helping share the secondhand threads with those in need across the community. In six short weeks since launching, the team have received over 1.4 tonnes of clothes and shoes donated (diverted from landfill) and helped over 172 people with free clothing bundles who were all in need of clothes due to their circumstances. If anyone needs help with accessing clothing or if you’d like to donate any clean, good quality items to the bank, get in touch with the community clothes bank directly at magdaletylerwhittle@yahoo.co.uk (all ages/sizes and genders, accepted) or visit their Facebook page for more details. IG: @communityclothesbank
big bubble birthdays Vita Stores turns 1 Having opened its doors back in February 2020, Vita Stores turns one this spring with its mission to reduce, reuse and refill. The zero-waste kitchen shop offers ethical cleaning products and storecupboard essentials, providing an opportunity for locals to make invaluable changes to their everyday shopping. The store aims to address the issue of food being transported around the globe, seeking out positive collaborations with farmers and producers in the UK. Check out their plastic-free wares on their website or pop in and say hello at 64 Harbour Street. IG: @vitastoreswhitstable
Grain & Hearth turns 2 Can you believe that we’ve been tucking into Grain & Hearth’s legendary toasties for two years now? The independent sourdough bakery has become a staple here in the Bubble for innovative bakes and moreish sweet treats (see cruffins galore and that custard tart). But they’ve also been busy sewing their granary seeds further afield as they’re now available across the East Kent coast, popping up at Macknade in Faversham, KG Winter Stores, The Table in Broadstairs’ feel-good sandwiches, and countertop croissants at Forts in Margate. Use your loaf and get involved at 50-52 Oxford Street. IG: @grainandhearth
Cafe + Kitchen turn 5
Keen for a slice of the pizza pie are newcomers Castellum who opened on Oxford Street in March. The family-run business aims to bring the authentic taste of Italy directly to your doorstep. Castellum will be running their collection only service until the doors can open again under the new restrictions. As Carmine Cioffi of Castellum explained, “The team has been absolutely humbled by the heartwarming response and welcome from the Whitstable community and we cannot wait to welcome you all for the full-dining experience soon.” IG: @castellumpizzeria
One-woman force and Yorkshire pudding pro, Michelle Booth celebrates five years at her Cafe + Kitchen residence on Harbour Street. Traditionally a daytime café serving brunch and lunch, Cafe + Kitchen has been keeping us well-fed during the winter months with slap-up roast dinners and lashings of gravy alongside Booth’s latest creation, the Little Katsu Kitchen. With a new website in the works and planned pop-ups on the horizon, you can read more on Cafe + Kitchen from page 17 as Annica Wainwright highlights some of the Bubblebased businesses taking takeaways to the next level. IG: @cafeandkitchen
Energy in the air thanks to Whitstable wind turbines
Buttercup turns 9
Innovative wind turbines created by local Whitstable firm, Alpha 311 are to be installed on the O2 to create clean energy. The Greenwich building is the first in the world to trial the new turbine system which, using a vertical axis, can turn even when there is no wind due to its size, weight and unique shaftless design. Speaking of the O2’s decision to sign up to the scheme, Alpha 311 CEO Mike Shaw told us: “With a vision to make energy poverty a thing of the past, Alpha 311 is powering up a future where roads, bridges and buildings can all be used to generate cheap, clean energy. Find out more about the movement at alpha-311.com
A sad farewell to Geoff Laurens & Jean Bradshaw Two Harbour Street heroes have sadly passed away, as we say goodbye to Geoff Laurens and Jean Bradshaw. Laurens was the owner of Geoff Laurens Antiques which has existed on Harbour Street in various locations since 1975. His repertoire of rude jokes in particular will be sorely missed! Bradshaw was the woman behind Whitstable Knitwear in what is now the Marine Boutique. She died peacefully on 4 March 2021 aged 89 after a long illness. Both Laurens and Bradshaw were friends as well as neighbours.
If we’re ever in need of a last-minute gift idea for children (and lucky parents alike), we know exactly where to head on Harbour Street. And, thankfully for us, children’s boutique Buttercup has been sourcing sustainably made toys, gifts, and books for babies and children for over nine years now. Owner Mary Jane Higginson is also doing her bit to support fellow UK businesses stocking a swathe of British brands like ethical, multi-award-winning baby and toddler shoemakers, Amy & Ivor, and small-batch knitwear designers Button and Blue’s teething mittens. Treat your little person to a little something at buttercupwhitstable.co.uk. Worldwide shipping is available. IG: @buttercupwhitstable
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Writer
Illustration
Christopher Stone
Jade Spranklen
A dose of Whitstable life, past and present
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moved to Whitstable in 1984. You could call me a DFB – Down From Birmingham – except that the previous place I lived was St Pauls in Bristol. Before that I lived in Humberside, and before that, again, Cardiff, South Wales. If you look on the map you’ll see that all of these places are on estuaries. I don’t quite know why I am
OPINION drawn to this particular topography. I guess, coming from a big, old industrial city in the Midlands, it was the openness of the landscape that appealed to me: the big skies and restless seas, the spaciousness and fresh air. When I moved to Whitstable I was immediately at home. The town I moved into was scruffy, friendly, oldfashioned – and completely undiscovered. There was a menswear shop on the High Street called Hatchards which was like stepping into the past. It was a haven of old, dark wood, a nest of drawers behind glass counters, with three assistants with tapes around their necks eager to take your measure. They were like living adverts for the stock, kitted out in snazzy waistcoats, with neat ties and shirts with immaculate sleeves and cufflinks. They sold flat caps and homburgs, trousers with turn-ups, silk cravats, braces, belts, and other accessories, and they would measure your waist for a pair of underpants. You could get all sorts in there: Oxford shirts, leather gloves, long-johns, fleecy pyjamas, all filed away in those drawers which lined the walls from floor to ceiling. Just up the road at number 37, there was a newsagent stuffed to the rafters with old newspapers and unsold stock from the 60s: jigsaw puzzles, puzzle books and grimy magazines that only the manager would read. There were – let me think – three bakers, three greengrocers, three butchers, several newsagents, sweet shops, tobacconists, hardware shops, bookshops, electrical shops, furniture shops, clothes shops, and cafés. It was a fully functioning high street. Sadly, few of the shops have survived. I was talking to Jim on the bus the other day. Jim runs Canterbury Rock in Canterbury. He’s married to Belinda who used to run Herbaceous on Oxford
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Street, where one of the new barbers has since taken over. Herbaceous was a unique shop, unlike anything that has been seen before or since. It sold health food, herbs and spices, herbal medicine, bamboo socks, Buddhist statues, incense, incense burners, window decorations, candles and a host of other arcane and interesting items of a distinctly heathen nature.
“The openness of the landscape appealed to me: the big skies and restless seas. When I moved to Whitstable I was home” More than this: it was a gathering place for the whole of the Whitstable community. Belinda was like the oracle of Oxford Street. You would go there to consult her on the auguries. She knew everything that was happening in the town and it was impossible to pass her shop without popping in for a chat. She was forced to close after 17 years, once her rent had gone up beyond what she could afford. These days Belinda is one of the trustees for the Stream Walk Community Garden. Still keeping the community spirit. Still reading the auguries. Let’s hope it stays that way.
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Whitstable whistler
EVENTS
The Spring Hotlist APRIL - JUNE
Whitstable Castle antiques fair Whitstable Castle’s antiques and vintage fair makes a welcome return next month with a fine selection of sellers in the verdant castle grounds. The tea room will also be back in action for outside refreshments and takeaway treats. Parking available in the Castle grounds. 2 May, 10-4pm Whitstable Castle, Tower Hill If you wish to book a stall or need further details, contact Sue Ball on 01227 277668
Box and Bloom virtual flower crown workshops Set your creative side free with a series of online dried flower arrangement courses, courtesy of Box and Bloom. Everything you need for your flower crown, along with some Kentish refreshments, is delivered to you before a virtual workshop. The perfect, peaceful and creative way to spend a weekend afternoon. 8 May, 8pm, and on 8 August, 2pm
Bruce Williams’ art classes As well as being able to view his seascape inspired artwork in the gallery, local artist Bruce Williams is now taking bookings for his masterclasses and oneon-one tuition. During this hands-on class Bruce will guide you through his methods and inspiration based along the stunning Whitstable coastline and his new gallery. 108 High Street, Whitstable Arrange your class at brucewilliamsart.com
Umbrella Café’s bake-at-home boxes Pick up a bake box and learn how to create an Easter-themed melon pan bun with This Girl Can Bake, or enjoy a baking subscription for three months which also includes chocolate eclairs and strawberry basil ice-cream. Each kit includes everything you need, plus a bake along video link. Order online at yourlocal. delivery/the-umbrella-cafe
Online sessions IG: @boxandbloom_uk
Whitstable Farmers Market Every second and fourth Saturday morning of the month, local stalls descend on the Old Coal Yard on Belmont Road, all from a 30 mile radius for the longstanding Whitstsable Farmers Market offering up fresh and organic produce from Ripple Farm Organics, Goody Ales and Cheesemakers of Canterbury. Bi-weekly on Saturdays, 9-2pm Belmont Yard whitstablefarmersmarket.com ▲ Image courtesy of Autumn Goodman: Unsplash
Estuary 2021 Estuary 2021 is a large-scale arts festival curated around the Thames Estuary and the lives and landscapes found there. The festival invites visitors to take an epic walk along the stunning coastline of North Kent encountering contemporary artworks and performance within the historic sites and coastal towns. 22 May to 13 June Venues across North Kent estuaryfestival.com
Profanity Embroidery Group art exhibition Despite a whole year of toil and trouble PEG have soldiered on and done what all good artists should: put on an art exhibition. (Not one for the kids, be warned!) This show should have been at the much loved Fishslab Gallery but has been moved online. Pick a Card features works based around the theme of, well, cards, including Boris Johnson Bullshit Bingo. Online viewing pegwhitstable.co.uk/peep-show
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BUSINESS
CHARLOTTE CORNELL
ROSIE DUFFIELD, LABOUR MP CANTERBURY Writer Fay Schopen
Photographer James Routh
CHARLOTTE’S WEB
With digital poverty hindering thousands of families during lockdown, Fay Schopen meets the woman behind an initiative making homeschooling happen in East Kent
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here aren’t many, if any, upsides to a pandemic – and the third UK lockdown, which started in January, was a particular blow to many with school-age children. Schools may have scrambled to put assignments and teaching online, but Whitstable resident Charlotte Cornell soon realised something was missing – enough laptops and tablets for local children to learn on. Cornell has three children herself, and has been homeschooling her two oldest throughout the UK lockdowns, as well as juggling part-time work, writing, and her studies at the University of Kent. She isn’t someone to let the grass grow under her feet, and she soon came up with a plan: the Top Up To Teach initiative.
“When it became clear that the kids weren’t going back to school, there were several friends of mine who didn’t have enough devices to teach their children on – or had none,” she says. “Schools have been amazing with their online resources, but there were so many families who couldn’t access them. There was a real, immediate need.” Sitting at her kitchen table, Cornell, along with her husband and her mother-in-law, who is in her family bubble, hatched a plan to ask the local community to donate their old and unused devices to be redistributed to families in need, helping to ensure no child fell behind with learning. “I was a teacher for ten years,” she says. “Home learning is incredibly hard – I feel the pain!” The pandemic has exposed many inequalities, including digital poverty. Cornell points out that laptops and tablets are a luxury purchase, with even secondhand ones costing around £150 apiece, making them simply unaffordable for many families, especially those with more than one child. Some families with multiple children were particularly hard hit by school closures, she points out, with parents resorting to using mobile phones or copying out schoolwork by hand.
Cornell set up a Just Giving page with the aim of raising money to pay for the cost of refurbishing the appliances (it costs around £15-20 to triple-wipe a device and reinstall software on it) and for chargers and other accessories. She then put the call out for Whitstable residents to donate their unwanted laptops and tablets. The initiative started as a “super local” Whitstable project – but word quickly spread. “People really wanted to help,” says Cornell. “They were incredibly generous with donating devices, as well as money and their time.” Cornell was soon getting requests from Canterbury, Thanet, and further afield – so the project grew to cover the whole of East Kent. At the time of writing, Top Up To Teach has raised almost £5,500 and donated an impressive 454 devices to families and schools in the region, with the help of four local IT firms: Graham Palmer PC Support in Tankerton, Poorly PCs in Herne Bay, SOS Technical Solutions in Canterbury and a local Apple Mac expert, John Blagden. When ready, the laptops and tablets reach their destinations thanks to a “hugely dedicated” team of five volunteer drivers. The response from recipients, says Cornell, has been “amazing”. “I feel
like I know the families we’ve been able to help,” she adds. “I’ve received so many pictures of smiley kids sitting at their computers – it’s just the nicest thing. It has made such a difference to children’s happiness, their mental health, and their education – and their parent’s mental health too. I’m very proud of being able to help.” The project has also given its local volunteers a boost during the long, difficult winter days of lockdown. “You get out, and you feel good,” she says. “It invigorates people.” With spring in the air, Cornell hopes Top Up To Teach will continue to provide laptops and tablets to those who need them in the community – digital poverty is an issue not just confined to school children – and she is already buzzing with ideas about ways to collaborate with other community projects with similar goals. “Whitstable is really special. People do want to help each other,” she says. “It was nice to feel that as a community we had been brought together by Covid, rather than pulled apart by it.”
To donate towards the initiative or if you’re keen to find a new home for an old device, visit topuptoteach.org
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CURRENT AFFAIRS
Whitstable whistler
SEASALTER CARAVAN EXPANSION: A LEVELLED DEBATE
whitstable whistler
CURRENT AFFAIRS
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Curlew by Mike Gould ◄ Rearview of Alberta Holiday Park by Duarte Figueira
Writer Duarte Figueira
With the Alberta Holiday Park looking to expand its Seasalter Levels site, locals are forced to find the balance between visiting tourism and preserving the landscape they come to visit, as Duarte Figueira reports
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here is a decades-long tradition of caravanning in Whitstable and its surrounding areas, including Seasalter. This tourism has contributed to the town’s character and supplemented the income of its shops and businesses. In recent years, the development of higher-quality static caravans and lodges has provided many people with an economical entry route into comfortable holiday-home ownership and incentivised caravan parks to develop this side of their business. The forthcoming decision on the long-running planning application to extend the Alberta Holiday Park in Seasalter, one of the town’s longstanding and best-known caravan parks, will be closely watched
locally to see how this trend will be balanced with environmental and other considerations. The proposed site is next to the Seasalter Levels Local Nature Reserve (LNR). The application has predictably generated several objections on ecological grounds, including from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) and members of the public. While there are many other considerations for the planning authority to weigh-up, the impact on the wildlife of the Levels is a key issue in the debate. The Canterbury and District Local Plan encourages existing sites contributing to visitor numbers to “upgrade, renew and extend their offer” to create viable and sustainable touring sites. But it emphasises that such development is subject to its policies on priorities such as nature conservation, landscape, and flooding. In particular, it states that development adjacent to recognised nature sites will only be acceptable if it is of small scale and causes no harm. Lying to the west of Whitstable, the Seasalter Levels was reclaimed from the sea between the 14th and 18th centuries and is one of the great natural treasures of the district. The LNR is managed by the RSPB, forming part of the Swale Special Protection Area (SPA), Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and Ramsar site. These Swale sites support populations of breeding and
overwintering birds of international importance. A key species is the curlew, Europe’s largest wading bird, which was observed on the proposed 12-acre caravan site during the ecological assessment commissioned by Park Holidays UK Ltd, the owner of Alberta Holiday Park. Between a fifth and a quarter of the world’s breeding population is in the UK, making it arguably the most important country for curlews. But, as elsewhere, the population here has seen steep declines in recent years, which some believe is linked to egg predation and changes in land management.
“These Swale sites support populations of breeding and overwintering birds of international importance”
In December 2020 a partnership led by the RSPB, Kent Wildlife Trust and Canterbury City Council was awarded £1.9m under the Green Recovery Challenge Fund. Part of this funding will be used to restore 228 hectares of Levels wetland. Plans include installing new features such as sluices and pools and introducing cattle grazing. Chloe Rose, senior conservation officer at RSPB says: “Through the recently won Green Recovery Challenge fund, we will focus on restoring Seasalter Local Nature Reserve to a high-performing site from its present ‘unfavourable’ condition, as currently assessed by Natural England. This will provide a sanctuary for breeding and wintering wildfowl and waders, water voles, rare invertebrates and flora. Not a place beside which we would encourage unnecessary development.” Park Holidays UK has already responded to concerns by considerably reducing the original scale of its proposed development from 143 to 91 new caravans and reconfiguring the site. The company states: “To reflect this approach, the entire eastern section of the land to be developed has been set aside for environmental improvement. This will include the creation of ecological scrapes. These are shallow depressions with gently sloping edges which seasonally hold water and attract wildlife. Alongside this there ►
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CURRENT AFFAIRS
Lapwing by Mike Gould
E E R F RADIO
will be a foraging area for curlew to complement the ecology of the nearby SPA.” They continue: “Wider environmental benefits will also be achieved through the development of new wetland planting areas, buffer screen planting and the ecological enhancement of existing field drains.” Matt Purdom, planning director of Park Holidays UK, also said the proposed developments at Alberta will represent positive gains both for the natural world and the region’s tourism economy: “We are an extremely environmentally aware company, and have always been concerned to give the fullest possible protection to local ecologies where our parks are based.” “Our picturesque coastal and rural locations tend to attract guests who enjoy unspoiled surroundings and being able to come closer to nature. Many of our visitors are also young families. We know that they value the opportunities for their children to explore the grounds and to make wildlife discoveries in a safe and wellmanaged natural environment.” Nevertheless, the RSPB remains opposed to the development, arguing that it would reduce the existing buffer around the reserve. Chloe Rose says: “The RSPB has serious concerns
about the impact this development will have on this highly sensitive area. The value of this land for SPA-designated species should be a primary consideration. Bordering the proposed extension is the Seasalter Local Nature Reserve, which among other wildlife is managed for groundnesting birds such as lapwing, redshank, and skylark. Breeding waders, in particular, are vulnerable to recreational disturbance.” The debate recalls the observation of the 1947 Wild Life Conservation Special Committee, which led to the designation of local nature reserves. It said that people with no special interest in natural history could “... derive great pleasure from the peaceful contemplation of nature.” Whatever the outcome of the Alberta application, the case highlights the challenge of finding innovative ways to balance the growing demand for leisure opportunities in Whitstable’s natural environment while safeguarding the very landscape that makes that leisure worthwhile. ▪
To find out more about the expansion proposal and view the application, go to Canterbury City Council’s planning portal and search CA//19/00707
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whitstable whistler
COMMUNITY
Food For Thought
Rebecca Martin speaks to the Umbrella Centre and Food Friends on the importance of connection, addressing food poverty and how they provided over 4,000 meals to those in need
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t the Umbrella Café CIC on Oxford Street, where we once met for coffees, catch-ups and their famous cider mushrooms on toast, currently sits a whopping row of 18 fridges and freezers filled with perfectly portioned meals. This triumphant gesture is for isolated individuals and struggling families in our town and has been orchestrated with the relentless support of the Umbrella Centre and Food Friends. It’s no secret that this town has become a hotspot for Londoners and the like. It’s seen as an affluent pocket of culture nestled on the Kent
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Writer Rebecca Martin
Photographer Sheradon Dublin
coast, with our cookie-cutter streets becoming a day-trip destination for many and an ideal forever home for some. But there’s another side to our much-loved town – and it’s not always seen. Within our beautiful coastal community lies a serious issue of social isolation and hunger. Problems that were only worsened by the economic impact of the pandemic. According to the Trussell Trust, food banks in the UK saw a 47% increase in need during the first six months of 2020. Unemployment, social isolation and food poverty are at an all-time high – and all this is right on our doorstep. It is fortunate then that
we have a high street of incredible businesses who couldn’t just sit by and watch. The Community Dinner Fund was launched by the Umbrella Centre, the Umbrella Café CIC and Food Friends in 2020. To date, with the support and help of the community, the initiative has delivered over 4,000 meals, preventing many of our own Whitstable residents from going hungry. “It was really important to us to reach families,” says the café’s co-owner Jo Verney. “Anna [Mantell] from Food Friends already does an incredible job of partnering individuals, but she’d never worked with families and we didn’t know how that would work logistically. Anna started getting referrals and we had the catering facilities to help. Then it was just a case of bringing it all together.” ►
THE COMMUNITY DINNER FUND 4,350 MEALS DELIVERED TO DATE
450 BREAKFAST BOXES SENT OUT 900 SUPPORTIVE CALLS AND TEXTS SENT
16 VOLUNTEERS 172 ISOLATED INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES REACHED
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COMMUNITY
Verney makes it sound like a nobrainer, but the logistics of operating such a project and securing funding is no mean feat. Food Friends was founded in early 2019 by Mantell. The initiative empowers individuals to cook an extra portion of a nutritious meal and hand-deliver it to an isolated neighbour, along with a much-needed doorstep chat. The scheme was already successfully meeting the needs of our residents, but families were another story altogether.
“The biggest positive through all of this is how we’ve all worked together. It’s truly shown how communities can be interconnected”
“I had lots of concern passed my way,” explains Mantell. “Organisations were reaching out with news of families who were impacted by the pandemic through isolation and poverty. Then local businesses started reaching out asking how they could help, which was incredibly generous. Jo explained that the Umbrella Café had some money from their Pay It Forward, so we used this to deliver some homecooked meals. We could never have continued to support families without the help of the Umbrella Café.” Referrals were coming in thick and fast from schools, social services, community organisation Red Zebra and more. Businesses including Sale & Pepe, V.C. Jones, Samphire, the Rose In Bloom and Staines all got in touch to help, either running Pay It Forward schemes, cooking up extra portions of takeaway meals or donating surplus produce. The owner of Samphire, George Begg, even bought the team a new food processor when theirs broke. “In week one we served 50 meals via the CDF,” says Verney. “By week three we were at 400. We all had to adapt and learn how to manage a largescale social project.” Verney talks fondly of Whitstable having two sides to it and how reaching the vulnerable wasn’t just prompted by the pandemic. “We
SAMPHIRE “It’s been a real eye-opener,” says owner George Begg. “For 15 years our charitable work has been focused more on cultural, community and artistic fundraisers. But since meeting Jo and the Umbrella Centre, and with the onset of Covid, we’ve decided to focus all our attention on food poverty and family support. We asked Jo what we could do to help – donations of food or cash – or help with equipment. She came back straight away as their food processor had just packed up. So
we offered to replace it. I called our service engineers to chat about brand reliability and functionality and they all pointed to Robot Coupe. I approached them directly, cap in hand, and after a week of pleading they gave in and offered us the Rolls Royce of commercial food processors for the price of a good domestic one. At Christmas we also provided the turkeys for their amazing food boxes. The Umbrella Centre is such a hub, we are so lucky to have it – and the cafe.”
knew they were there,” she says. “It’s a town of two hearts. I don’t think I realised how many there were though, or how far the issue went with families. It’s quite shocking. “We had a Pay It Forward scheme in the café from the day it opened. That was always the big driver of the café – everyone is welcome. That’s how the Community Dinner Fund started, seeing how valuable the Pay It Forward scheme was becoming.” Verney started her career as a nurse, so the desire to help people has always been deeply rooted. When living in London she ran community events with a local food bank and always wanted to set up a community organisation. When she moved to Whitstable with her partner Tom six
whitstable whistler V.C. JONES “Over the last year, our customers have donated around £4,000 worth of meals to be distributed throughout Whitstable via our Pay It Forward scheme,” says co-owner Matt Jones. V.C. Jones also donated the money received from Acorn Productions’ use of the shopfront and some of the delivery team have added their tips to the pot. We’re extremely proud of the impact we’ve been able to have on our community. Feeding people hot, freshly cooked food when they need it has undeniably been positive. Fish and chips are ideal comfort food. One customer, who regularly donates when they order, does so because they received free food from us when they lost their job last year. Now they pay it forward to help others. Being a part of a group of businesses who have social responsibility at their hearts has added a beautiful and positive spin to what has been a horrific year for many.”
years ago, the café came up and she found the perfect business partner in Caroline Mumford, someone who she also describes as hugely passionate about connections. To say Verney wears many hats would be an understatement. As well as running the Umbrella Café, she runs Hive Coworking (also with Mumford), is a mum of two, and was studying for a social enterprise qualification throughout the pandemic. But this isn’t about her, she insists. “It’s about thinking about the long game,” she adds. “When we evaluated the service at the end of August, it was clear talking to the beneficiaries that we had high levels of people wanting to connect with us. So we launched the Social Pantry, a concept that was our chance to engage those struggling families on a long-term basis. Not to create dependency, but to help.”
COMMUNITY
The idea of the pantry was to feed and to support, but also to connect. And if there’s one word to describe how our community has thrived over the last year, that’s it: connection. Charlotte Phillip is now project manager of the Social Pantry, supporting Verney in managing the huge task of offering free meals, food items and empowering support to struggling local residents. Surplus produce is donated by local supermarkets via the charities Fareshare and Neighbourly. Fourteen amazing volunteers then pick up the produce and deliver it to the Social Pantry, where it’s packaged up for those who need it. There’s no better home for the initiative than in the Umbrella Centre, the inclusive and welcoming community space where this all started. “The biggest positive through all of
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this is how we’ve all worked together,” says Verney. “It’s truly shown how communities can be interconnected. And the big question is, how do we want to see our communities thrive on the other side of this? We’ve seen schools, social prescribers and businesses all working together. That’s when you realise it isn’t about the food. Food is important, but the food is almost like a tool. It’s starting a conversation. This scheme has brought people who were previously hard to reach right to the surface. If we can stay connected, there’s so much we could achieve to support them.”
If you or someone you know needs support, get in touch at talk@theumbrellacafe.co.uk The café will reopen on 3 May
THANK YOU We couldn’t include everyone, so special thanks also go to the Community Dinner funders: Awards For All, Colyer Fergusson, Community Foundation, Kent County Council, Cafbank, Leigh Saunders Fund, Tesco, Kent Community Foundation, Martin Lewis Covid-19 Fund, Whitstable Rotary Club and Fred Goldfinch Dec Fund.
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whitstable whistler
FOOD
Whole different kettle of fish Writer Annica Wainwright
Photographer Andrew Hayes-Watkins
Soundchecks one day, fish scaling the next. Annica Wainwright meets the entrepreneurial foodies who launched businesses from their home kitchens in lockdown
“
I spoke to a friend of mine last night. This time last year, our band was playing live on stage in LA. Today, he’s making handstitched t-shirts from his bedroom and I’m in my kitchen making finish-athome seafood kits. We were like: how did this happen?” Josh Ward, who until March last year worked in the music business as a concert promoter, couldn’t be further removed from his day job right now. Dialling into our Zoom interview from his front room in Island Wall, he talks of early 2020 like it was a different life. “I used to go to ten gigs a week and I’ve not been to a single one since the 12th of March last year. I miss it more than anything, but the idea of five thousand people in a room together, sweating and crowd surfing, just seems preposterous at the moment.” When it became clear to Josh that his music career would be on hold for some time,
he decided he needed to do something different. These days, he spends his weekends helping Whitstable home cooks serve up restaurant-quality fish suppers via Holy Mackerel’s painstakingly prepped meal kits that people finish in their own kitchens. “I don’t think cooked seafood travels well, so I thought this was the best way. I do all the hard work, trimming the fish, cooking the sauces, so people at home only have to do three processes: warm the sides, grill a piece of fish and plate the thing.” “Sometimes I laugh because I put four hours into a tiny little pot of celeriac remoulade that someone’s going to finish in one second. But you need that care, don’t you? I mean, we’ve all had takeaways where you spend loads of money and it’s shit. You feel cheated. I want people to feel like they’re getting good value for money.” ►
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Ward, who worked in London restaurants before he embarked on a career in the music industry, had a clear vision of what he wanted Holy Mackerel to be. “I wasn’t trying to be complicated, but I wanted to give that air of restaurant quality. The food is finished at home by you, but I want you to feel like you’ve had an experience and learned some tips along the way. You’ve eaten something seasonal and fresh.” Just around the corner from Holy Mackerel’s Island Wall kitchen, Joanne Wilson started her own homegrown business quite by chance. “In the first lockdown, my husband Ben and I were missing sushi, so we googled a YouTube video and made some basic maki rolls – you know, smoked salmon, cheap crab sticks – and it was pretty good. I told my parents about it and my mum and dad were like, ‘Oh, that’s clever. Can you make us some?’ And so I made more.” Wilson, who’s worked in hospitality all her life, quickly got wind of a local sushi-grade fish supplier and the experimentation continued. By August she felt ready to share her homemade maki rolls beyond her family and friends. Sooshi Sushi was born. “I just threw myself into it. I wasn’t like, ‘This is my business plan. I’ve been thinking about it for months.’ I just set up an Instagram page. I started with 20 followers and it just grew and
“The first week I got five orders and thought, ‘This is amazing’. Now, I can do two hundred a week” grew and grew.” She continues: “The first week I got five orders and I thought, ‘This is amazing.’ I did seven the week after that, and then 12. Now I can do two hundred a week.” When we talk Wilson is in the process of moving house. “I need a bigger kitchen,” she explains. “The one I’m in now is a shoe box. I have to keep two extra fridges in my dining room. After lockdown it will be nice to have friends round and not have to talk over the whirring of the fridges.” With or without fridges in the dining room, it will be nice for us all to have friends round again – especially now Whitstable has so much exciting food on offer. ▪
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whitstable whistler
WELLBEING
19
PLANT POWER Writer Guy Deakins
Images Courtesy of businesses
While many industries ground to a halt last year, gardening saw a huge surge in sales. Guy Deakins investigates how the humble houseplant and communal green spaces continue to bloom
Fuchsia Green
S
pring is upon us, but winter wasn’t all bad. We had a dramatic snowfall, beautiful sunsets and deliciously scented flowers. Does mother nature truly ever stop bringing us joy? To prove a point, the green shoots of a gardening revival have appeared within houses and gardens across the UK. In September of last year, the FT reported a huge increase in gardening both indoors and outdoors. Likewise, BusinessLive covered how Sutton Seeds had such an increase in sales, the managing director thought their computers had malfunctioned. Even local gardening companies here in Whitstable saw an unprecedented interest as Whitstable residents also headed out into the garden – and with good reason. Not only does gardening help your fitness, but it also supports the immune system, increases vitamin D intake, improves coordination, lowers bone loss and aids blood circulation. That’s not even covering the positive impact it can have on our
mental health. Emily Hill at the Kent Community Oasis Garden at the University of Kent has been trying to coordinate one such effort. For Hill, understanding the importance of outdoor space is key: “KentCOG is a unique partnership between East Kent Mind and the University of Kent that recognises the role gardening can play in promoting good mental health.” Further, KentCOG has launched a series of courses covering everything from baking to basket-making. Known as Ecotherapy, the sessions aim to help anyone in need. “Ecotherapy improves mental health, physical health, develops social life, builds confidence, strengthens your connection with nature, and helps you practice mindfulness,” says Hill. “There are many ways to get involved, more information and support is available at mind.org.uk. You can also join in a weekly zoom meeting on Green Spaces KentCOG to hear how many of these ideas are being put into practice.”
Veronica Wheatley, newly appointed chair of the Stream Walk Community Garden here in Whitstable, agrees: “The focus in 2021 is to further increase the number of people we reach, particularly those who feel isolated and lonely. This year, we want to be more accessible, including to those people who may not be online. If anyone is running groups already who’d like access to the garden, we’d love to hear from you. The site has a tea shed, wildlife areas and there is the opportunity to do garden crafts and woodwork!” If you are interested in helping at the Stream Walk Community Gardens (after the Covid restrictions have eased) the easiest way to contact them is at streamwalkcg@gmail.com, via their Facebook page or visit them on a Thursday morning. Wheatley says, “The site is a lovely haven tucked away off the Stream Walk footpath just near the railway station, and the volunteers grow vegetables, fruit and flowers which are available to buy.” ►
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WELLBEING
But what of those of us who have little or no space, or find it difficult outside? Fear not, it would appear houseplants have equal benefit. Green is the most easily seen colour by the human eye; it is also a colour that lowers the heart rate. After a ten-minute “immersion”, a verdant tint actively changes your mood to a more positive outlook. There is also evidence that tending to something with concentration and empathy actually reduces the stress hormone cortisol. Much like stroking a cat or dog does. Professional florist and gardener Joanna Growns set up her shop Thrive in Tankerton in December 2020 and notes the importance of a greenfingered connection. “Lockdown placed a greater emphasis on the need for green and open spaces,” she says. “I love all plants, so bringing them indoors makes them accessible for everyone. It’s about having a connection to mother nature, nurturing something you’ve loved and enveloped to grow. If you’re not a gardener you won’t get it, but when you do, that connection just fills you with something… Peace? Inner calm? Mindfulness?”
Another Whitstable local planting the seeds of positivity is Lisa Feurtado of Fuchsia Green. A garden designer by profession, Feurtado knows a thing or two when it comes to balancing greenery with good intentions. Last year she opened her design studio on Canterbury Road. Of the venture she explains: “The showroom is an inspiring space to showcase our vision; to blur the lines between interior and exterior design with a limitless palette of plants… The success of a garden should be judged on its ability to draw people out of their home to play, entertain, relax and immerse themselves in the natural world.”
If you’re interested in joining the weekly Green Spaces Zoom meeting with KentCOG, email info@eastkentmind.org.uk for more details Stream Walk Community Garden FB: @whitstablecommunity IG: @thrivewhitstable IG: @fuchsiagreengardendesign
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22
Whitstable whistler
WELLBEING
Writer
Illustrator
Lorna Harris
Rebecca Thomas
After losing her parents, Lorna Harris made the leap to seaside living leaving the Big Smoke behind. Here, she explains how she grappled with her grief to find a home, and hope, by the harbour
M
y favourite book is Heartburn by Nora Ephron. There is a line where the main character is feeling heartbroken through loss. Embarking on a new start, she is scared, but she also has a sliver of hope. She thinks, “At last Rachel, something is happening to you.” I feel this deeply. I arrived here in Whitstable in the summer of 2019. I was feeling completely spat out, following the death in quick succession of my vibrant parents. Alone and grieving, I wasn’t quite sure what I was doing as I got off the fast train from London. I was here, but inside, felt barely anywhere. A “need to get away” and a friend needing someone to look after her Whitstable flat had led to this moment. I had long hankered to live by the sea, but the tragedy that had befallen my family was in the
forefront of my mind. There was no excitement, just numbness. But also a flicker of at last, perhaps something was happening to me? Until then I had seen Whitstable through the eyes of someone who looked in the windows of the lovely houses I walked past on the beach. I saw the quaintness and the way everyone seemed friendly. The working harbour and the array of characters living creative lives. The cute dogs on the beach and the giant gins in the Twelve Taps. I saw the good day out. I saw the sea. The Vitamin Sea that I would breathe in on a day trip before going home. But arriving so broken, it was the first time in a very long time I had felt “seen”. On the first day of coming to stay here, I went for a coffee in the Umbrella Café. As I sat wondering, “What now?” I saw people pulling tables and chairs together. “Is anyone here for the bereavement social group?” someone called out. “What?” I thought, hearing my own voice ask the question before I was even aware that I was speaking. Two hours later I had laughed and shared more than I had in ages, had met a series of interesting people and felt less alone than I had in months. That night I went for a beach walk, breathed in the salty sea air and saw a sunset so beautiful I felt something in me start to heal a little. The next week I joined Kent Soul
Choir after overhearing someone talk about it in Grain & Hearth bakery. I was having the very worst grief day I had had in ages. I was missing my mum and dad. I was getting messages from the estate agent of my parents’
“Two hours later I had laughed and shared more than I had in ages... and felt less alone than I had in months” house demanding it be cleared. I was simply not in a good place. But I went along to the church hall for choir. Within the first five minutes I knew I had found something that sparked a flame that had felt extinguished. At this point, I had been in Whitstable
for two weeks and it was already giving me more than I could ever have anticipated. Choir has now, nearly a year and half on, become the best thing I ever did. I walked home that first session to the most glorious of sunsets, and again felt something in me come back to life. Since then there have been groups, singing and so many sunsets. New friends made. I found my own home here in the winter of 2019. I had already realised by then that Whitstable is the town equivalent of “look for the helpers”. I have been overwhelmed at the incredible community activities that have kept so many afloat during the pandemic, from the wellbeing work happening at Revival, to the Food Friends project at the Umbrella Café. I am in awe of the strength of the independent businesses so deeply impacted. The biggest cast members in learning to live with grief have been the sea and the sunsets. My new little cottage looks out to it. I now see it through the eyes of someone who is making a life here. It looks so different from the view of the day tripper. It is brighter somehow. I have been made so welcome. It is Whitstable. It is home.
Lorna Harris is a writer, originally from London, now living in Whitstable
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24
READING
A Leaf Through Spring Reads Writer Clare Connerton
Images courtesy of Harbour Books
Despite the doors being closed more than open the last year, Harbour Books has offered us escape and comfort through the long winter. Owner Clare Connerton shares the reads that have absorbed bookworms and wannabe mermaids alike
H
arbour Books has been Whitstable’s independent bookshop for over 25 years. In early 2020 we were forced to close our doors just as the first national lockdown took hold. Seven months later we were finally able to reopen under new management just in time for National Bookshop Day on 3 October. The community response was phenomenal, and we were overwhelmed by our customers who were delighted and relieved that their bookshop was, once again, back in business. Since then we’ve been in lockdown so often that our doors have been closed more often than they’ve been open. But Whitstable is a community of committed readers, and we’ve been working behind the scenes to keep you all supplied with books throughout the long winter.
Whitstable whistler
whitstable whistler
READING
Bestselling non-fiction
Bestselling fiction
Wintering, Katherine May
Girl, Woman, Other, Bernadine Evaristo
In recent months our standout bestseller has been a work of nonfiction, called Wintering by Whitstable author Katherine May. Wintering is all about learning to survive “a season in the cold”, the difficult periods in life where we are forced to withdraw from the world because of illness, grief or, indeed, a pandemic. Part-memoir, partmeditation, May draws on the times she has experienced, “a fallow period in life when you’re cut off from the world, feeling rejected, sidelined, blocked from progress, or cast into the role of an outsider”, and gently explores how she learned to flourish again. Wintering has been described as “reading therapy”, but that makes it sound worthy. May is too funny for that. She has managed to write her pain into something quite exquisitely meaningful, and useful. Her words have guided many of us through one of the coldest, loneliest winters we have ever experienced. When it was published in early 2020, no one could have known how essential this book was about to become. Unsurprisingly to anyone who read it, Wintering was a New York Times bestseller by the end of the year.
This Booker Prize-winning novel has been a Harbour Books’ bestseller since we opened in October 2020. The well-deserved and ongoing success of this novel has since led many of our customers to revisit Evaristo’s earlier work: The Emperor’s Babe, Soul Tourists and Blonde Roots. As a judge for the Women’s Prize 2021, Evaristo makes the most of the platform that she’s earned to nurture a more diverse literary culture – a value we share at Harbour Books. This year’s list includes the brilliant debut novel by Torrey Peters, Detransition, Baby. It is the first time that a trans woman author has appeared in the nominations.
“Evaristo makes the most of the platform that she’s earned to nurture a more diverse literary culture”
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Other debuts featured on the longlist we particularly enjoyed reading and recommending are Luster by Raven Leilani, Burnt Sugar by Avni Doshi and No One is Talking About This by Patricia Lockwood.
The Whitstable Pearl, Julie Wassmer This series of murder mystery novels by another local author Julie Wassmer has always been very popular with Harbour Books customers, and this year has been no exception. In January customers were busy ordering from the collection, as excitement spread that a production team was in Whitstable filming the first episodes of a new television show based on her books. The new title (the eighth in the series) Strictly Murder will be published on 10 June.
Children’s fiction The Girl and The Dinosaur, Hollie Hughes Our bestselling titles for children have both been beautiful illustrated picture books in the 3-6 year age group. The Girl and the Dinosaur, by Hollie Hughes, is the adventure of the determined and imaginative Marianne, who after a day digging on the beach dreams of a spectacular adventure for her and a dinosaur friend.
Julian is a Mermaid, Jessica Love Hands down one of the most beautifully illustrated books you could imagine picking up, author and illustrator Jessica Love has created a work of art with Julian Is A Mermaid. In this simple story Julian is inspired to become a mermaid by three beautifully dressed women he spots on the subway. This book shows a young character finding joy, acceptance and love in creativity and self-expression.
To pick up any of the books mentioned or to place an order online, visit harbourbooks.org or find Clare at 21 Harbour Street
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MUSIC
Radio Rules in Lockdown Writer Victoria Spooner
While the arts have suffered incredible losses over the last twelve months, radio has been experiencing a quiet revival. Victoria Spooner speaks to the local entrepreneur at the heart of a new online radio station, proving that making connections over the airwaves is as essential as ever
W
hen the UK’s first lockdown began last March, former freelance BBC radio producer Steve Graham anticipated the difficulties facing the Whitstable arts community and decided to take preventative action. While out on his daily sanctioned walk, Graham received the spark of inspiration that was to grow into Whitstable’s newest online radio station: the Big Bubble Broadcasting Corporation (BBBC). From the closures of galleries and studios to the cancellation of local pub gigs and massive events like Edinburgh
Festival and Glastonbury, no music, arts, or culture scene has survived unscathed. For creatives, this doesn’t just mean lost income or delays to career trajectory, but loss of essential community as well. “I’ve got mates who work all over the world in music and they were all coming home because there were no tours. Everyone’s going to be locked down on their own because these people don’t live with anyone… I said there’s going to be a lot of lonely people here,” says Graham. With listenership figures increasing during lockdown, radio has been experiencing something of a renaissance. Studies by Radiocentre, the industry body for commercial radio, show 38% of listeners tuned in for one hour and 45 minutes longer each day during last April’s lockdown, with a similar increase in November. Of research participants, 80-90% mentioned they depended on radio because it keeps them company or improves their mood. Much of this has been accounted to the number of people now working from home, perhaps looking to replace the connection they’re missing from their professional communities. With a cheeky nod to his previous employers at the BBC, Graham enlisted the skills of local tech wizard Matthew Smith, and together they set about building BBBC from scratch. With no central studio to broadcast from, Smith coded the platform, the website and the
software that each presenter uses to create and host their shows from home, in true lockdown style. “He’s the brains and I’m the mouth,” says Graham. Live broadcasts account for about 30% of the station’s output with the remaining shows pre-recorded and uploaded to their custom system. Big Bubble gets a few thousand unique listeners a month and has been well received by Whitstable locals. “It’s like people start to depend on it. People stop you in the street and say, ‘Oh we love it,’” says Graham. The appreciation for Big Bubble doesn’t stop here on the north Kent coast either. The station has gained listeners from as far as Canada and the Middle East. “A guy from Whitstable was working on a yacht in Bahrain,” says Graham, “and he said, ‘It’s had me in tears. I was in Bahrain sweating hot and I wanted to be home in the pub.’” This is the unique magic of radio, it provides a feeling of intimacy and expansive connection, all at once. In addition to providing a way to keep people connected during lockdown, Graham also wanted to give artists a space to practise their creative chops. “I wanted to keep everyone connected… But it’s also that you’ve got to keep going. If you’re a writer and you’re not going out every day, you go into yourself, you can’t write. I was just concerned that we kept the ball rolling,” says Graham. With this emphasis on creative expression
and an “anything goes” attitude, the Big Bubble schedule is an eclectic mix of rock, hip-hop, electronica, jazz, psychedelia, reggae, comedy and chat, and even a radio panto. Graham hosts rock and soul show, Fryday Night at the Chip Shop, while Smith has selected a healthier option of Geek Salad, a talk show about tech. The Simms Brothers, who you’ll know as the backing singers from David Bowie’s China Girl, have a slot, while showcasing local talent is the priority on Neil Stockley’s Local Lockdown. Graham, however, is not without his standards: “They can play what they want, but if someone played Ed Sheeran they’d get a phone call.” A year after its first broadcast, and with the promise of a vaccinated and revived arts scene on the horizon, will the Big Bubble burst? Not on Graham’s watch. “As people start working with bands again, obviously we’re going to lose some presenters… I think we’ll be able to give young up-andcoming kids a chance to get into radio. And we’re always short of female presenters. We want to keep it going and we want it to be, if you like, our little gift to Whitstable.”
Tune into Big Bubble Radio at bigbubble.uk and hear Not The Steve Graham Show with Captain Steve on Friday at 6pm Twitter: @BigBubbleUK IG: @bigbubble.uk
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whitstable whistler
spring fever With Steve Graham and Matthew Smith at the helm of the Big Bubble airwaves, we asked the pair to rustle up their top spring picks for Issue 1’s playlist. From musical satirist Tom Lehrer to 70s disco king John Paul Young, here’s what the DJs had to say about their pop picks Listen to the full playlist at spoti.fi/3fqhown Mr Blue Sky ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA SG: Now, this is a toe-tapping, uplifting big tune. I saw them live at Wembley and they were the best live band I’ve ever seen. The song is not over until the fat lady sings and, only then, spring has sprung!
April Skies THE JESUS AND MARY CHAIN MS: The lazy spring-themed refrain belies a darker theme here. A song about love lost during the spring, a season when you might presume it to be blooming. The Jesus and Mary Chain are a fantastic band to play on a jukebox in a busy pub to make the pub less busy and thus get quicker access to the bar. Remember pubs?
Love is in the Air JOHN PAUL YOUNG SG: Coming out of hibernation, especially this time, this song just gets you going. In no time you’ll be dancing around the kitchen as you make your loved one breakfast.
Claudy Banks WATERSON CARTHY
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MS: Spring is probably folk music’s busiest season with an awful lot happening “all in the month of May”. Here is a shining example from the Waterson family with daughter Eliza taking on a haunting lead vocal with an exquisitely gentle guitar part from dad Martin on his Martin. Spoilers: a classic folk tale of maiden awaits sailor, sailor returns in disguise and tells her he’s dead, girl is understandably upset, sailor reveals his true identity and all is well.
R AMS GATE
Spring
8
2021
Moder
n-day
RECOR
Seasid
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FREE
Poisoning Pigeons in the Park TOM LEHRER MS: A sweet little tune about spending a pleasant spring afternoon with your sweetheart at the local recreational space (enhanced all the more by a mutual love of pest control). The very essence of spring is in the melody here.
When An Old Cricketer Leaves The Crease ROY HARPER SG: It just reminds me of spring in Kent. The start of the cricket season and a pint in hand whilst watching this quintessentially English scene.
DER
RAMSGR EA MESSEN T’S GER
Meet
the my stery street art Mr Tea ist: r Gas
PARK LIFE A walk throug Elling ton’s his h tory and ren ewal
COOK IN THINGS G UP Newin gton Big Lo cal’s new che f
CHILLIN G OUT The ben efits of cold wa swimmi ter ng
whitstable whistler
SPORT
29
GOING FOR
O G AL Writer
Photographer
Tony Rickson
Les Biggs
Former Whitstable Times Editor Tony Rickson explains how a recent book deal ticked off a personal goal for him and how the release aims to share some seminal sporting ones with the rest of us
C
elebrating a goal has long been one of our most treasured memories of going to a football match. No other sport offers the chance of such an explosion of sheer excitement, passion, and togetherness. Rugby players look pleased when they’ve scored a try. Cricketers wave their bats at reaching a century. But footballers have gone that bit further, ever since extrovert celebrations first began to feature around 40 years ago. Published at the end of last year, Gooaal: The Joy of Football Celebrations shares the stories of hundreds of goal celebrations. Rotten timing, admittedly, as bookshops all over the country were almost immediately locked down. Many other authors also proved fierce opposition, taking advantage of having spare time on
their hands to tackle that novel. Still, I’m delighted to have mine now in pride of place on my bookshelf at home in Whitstable. There are well over 200 celebrations described in the book, and you don’t even have to be a football fan to think of what some of them might be. Though, hopefully, many will come as a pleasant surprise. There are funny and original ones. Some are planned, others instinctive, and there are even controversial and political celebrations. Although it’s a bit like asking a parent which is their favourite child, when asked to select my own first choice among the hundreds of celebrations I’ve researched, the answer had to be Peter Crouch doing his robot dance after scoring for England. That’s influenced by us knowing now from his high profile in the media that Crouch is funny, likeable, and self-effacing. But I also think only a very few people remember what the goal he’d scored was like or whether England even won the game. Not to mention who the opposition was. I enjoyed writing about meaningful magic moments by top players like Paul Gascoigne and Jürgen Klinsmann. But Gooaal is far-reaching and celebrations by non-league players also feature. Whitstable Town FC manager Lloyd Blackman says an important goal at a crucial time of a match leads to what he calls an enormous explosion of joy.
Earlier this season Whitstable Town were away to Three Bridges, a tough Tuesday night fixture, and were 2-0 down after thirty minutes. Blackman recalls: “We were getting kicked from pillar to post, getting some dodgy decisions, and everything seemed to conspire against us. But we still made a fantastic recovery to draw level at 2-2, rounded off by one academy player, still only 18, scoring a staggering 96th-minute winner. All 11 players, five subs, physio, kit man and coaches bundled on top of each other. I was dancing around uncontrollably and
fans and directors were hugging and cheering. It’s these types of moments and raw emotions that we all do it for and there’s no better feeling.” You can see that sort of elation captured in another dramatic Whitstable Town goal celebration above. Supplied by club photographer and programme editor Les Biggs, the kind of dedicated stalwart who keeps nonleague football going. Biggs has been going to the Belmont ground since 1950 and says: “I love the atmosphere and the supporters. It’s such a friendly place.” I wanted my book to reflect that side of football, the light-hearted and enjoyable one. Football’s a serious business at the top level, but it should also be fun and happy whenever the opportunity arises. I wanted to keep active mentally, as well as physically when I retired from a long career in journalism – among many jobs, I’m a former editor of the Whitstable Times. Writing a book was one of my ambitions and, as a lifelong football fan, I found there wasn’t one on the subject of celebrations. Writing it wasn’t about fame or fortune, but simply achieving a goal in life.
Gooaal: The Joy of Football Celebrations is available online or through Pitch Publishing at pitchpublishing.co.uk
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Whitstable whistler
MEET THE MAKER:
SUKI HAYES-WATKINS
Writer
Bess Browning
Photographer
Andrew Hayes-Watkins
In her glass-walled studio, Suki Hayes-Watkins, seems in her element at The Print Block. But when her work ground to a halt last year, the pandemic inspired the printmaker to launch a project which raised £10,000 for the Trussell Trust
I
t is not surprising that HayesWatkins chose a studio and home so close to the sea. She grew up in Ramsgate, spending her childhood on the beach or exploring the marina with her sisters, sparking a lifelong affinity with the coast. As she discovered a passion for the arts, it was perhaps not a natural path for her to venture down. “Nobody in my family was creative,” she recalls. “My parents were both teachers until they
retired, my dad in PE and my mum teaching science, so I think everyone was surprised when I said I wanted to go to art school.” The aspiring printmaker completed a foundation art course in Maidstone before studying Fine Art Printmaking at Winchester School of Art, which is where she met her future husband, Andrew Hayes-Watkins. A renowned photographer, her husband has shot cookbooks for the Hairy Bikers and Rosemary Shrager, as well as for Vogue magazine and several BBC documentaries. Hayes-Watkins says: “After completing my degree in Winchester, I moved to London. It was there I started as an apprentice with photographic printer Danny Pope, who taught me everything I know. We worked with photographers from across the fashion and music industries but after an exciting few years, I wanted my own business.” In 2000, Hayes-Watkins set up Salamander Photographic in Hoxton
where business continued to thrive. However, seven years later, the industry was experiencing a shift from print to the digital age so she decided to sell up. “It was perfect timing really. Our daughter, Martha had been born, and I was pregnant with Poppy, so Andrew and I decided to move out of London. That’s when we found Whitstable.” There, in 2010, Hayes-Watkins opened the screen print studio and shop The Print Block, first at the East Quay before moving to her present studio at Monkshill Farm. Launching The Print Block was the start of more than a decade of collaborating with distinguished artists across the UK. Since its inception The Print Block has produced prints for prestigious galleries such as Eames Fine Art, Flowers Gallery and the Yorkshire Sculpture Park. The business has also seen her collaborating with esteemed and international artists like Julie Cockburn, Mychael Barratt and Anita Klein. One of Hayes-Watkins’ career highlights includes editioning the prints and props for Alice Pattuillo’s House and Home. Held at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park, the exhibition gained international recognition. Artists have travelled from across the country to work with the printmaker in her Monkshill Farm studio. But, in March 2020, the pandemic changed everything. “I pretty much lost all of my work in one day,” she says. “It was dreadful. But I wanted to do something to make a difference and it was then that an idea came to me. I had a screen-print studio full of offcuts
of material. I realised I could salvage them, rather than binning them, and create something of use.” The Offcut Project was born. Artists would send their work to HayesWatkins who would print 14 editions. Ten went up for sale while the others stayed with the artist or in the studio. After putting a shout out on social media, the printmaker received more than 150 submissions from celebrated artists from every corner of the country. “The six-week project not only raised money, but it also connected people at a time when we were all in isolation,” she says. The Offcut Project made £10,000 for the Trussell Trust and has helped to keep The Print Block afloat and help artists financially during a troubling time for the industry. Regular work returned when the project concluded, as the arts industry adapted to life during the pandemic. The creativity doesn’t stop at the door of the studio. Back home, the Hayes-Watkins’ are passing on their artistic skills to their three daughters. Eldest Martha is already studying A-level art. When they can, the family will be embarking on their usual summer holiday – a road trip through Europe with a car packed full of tents and an eye for adventure. “I’m hoping there’ll be more adventures in 2021,” says HayesWatkins, “and I’m also working on the next project for the Print Block, but you’ll have to watch this space.” We certainly will be.
For more information on The Print Block visit theprintblock.com
whitstable whistler
ADVERTORIAL
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