The first Annual Ramsgate Community Tart Up rolls into action tomorrow (May 3).
The Friends of Ramsgate Seafront (FORS) have organised several days of volunteering in the past 12 months but say the Annual Ramsgate Community Tart Up takes volunteering and community working to a new level.
It began in January this year when East Kent College said they wished to benefit Ramsgate and get their decorating and building students use their skills in a community service day. In response Andy King and other members of FORS organised the May 3 event and a series of projects which will continue along Ramsgate seafront as work experience for the students, using their core course skills.
The ‘Tart Up’ has evolved from a student experience day and will also involve several of the Ramsgate ‘Friends’ groups working together with the Ramsgate Town Team.
Town Team promoter Rebekah Smith hopes that from next year Ramsgate businesses will let members of staff take a community work day to join in with the event.
The projects to be undertaken on May 3,,and the coming weeks, include painting, rendering, repointing, repairing walls, gardening and tidying.
FORS member Clara Gibson said: “Many people say the work should have been undertaken by TDC so great credit is due to volunteers of the Friends of Ramsgate Seafront, other Ramsgate groups and East Kent College tutors and students for enabling so much work to be undertaken.
“A special acknowledgement goes to Andy King, secretary of The Friends of Ramsgate Seafront, who has used his extensive knowledge of project and construction management and put several weeks of unpaid hours liaising, estimating, pricing and nudging for this particular programme of works with East Kent College students to come together.”
The ‘tart up’ starts at the top of the Rainbow Steps in Marina Road at 10am and will run until 4pm.
Find out more about The Friends of Ramsgate Seafront at www.fors.vision