A celebration has been held to mark the completion of the West Cliff lift revamp

Volunteers revamped the West Cliff lift but now the council is selling it Photo Brian Whitehead

Colourful artwork and new Perspex panels have been used to give the West Cliff’s art deco lift a facelift.

Volunteers from the Western Undercliff Regeneration Group have spent around three months working with artists Lee Nicholls and Robert Onion to spruce up the lift.

The 1926 lift is not currently used but the group managed to secure £1,200 from Ramsgate Town Council and permission from Thanet council to replace the Perspex panels in the shaft and create art at both the top and the bottom of the structure.

Maxine Morgan, from the Undercliff group, said: “We have replaced the panels of Perspex, volunteers painted the top and bottom and there are murals from artists Lee Nicholls and Robert Onion.

“The murals are vandal proof prints and we do have a spare copy. It took around three months, with the art produced from scratch, and involved 10 of us including the two artists. We wanted something that was beautiful but fun.”

Both Robert and Lee are Ramsgate based and have contributed their works for free.

The group also had help from UDS, based in Military Road, to get the Perspex panels from Blaze Neon, which have colour gradation to create the illusion of movement, put in place.

A celebration to finish completion of the project was held last night (August 19) at the base of the lift.

As well as raising a glass to the group’s efforts Maxine presented all those involved with a piece of the Perspex that had been cut and then engraved with Robert Onion’s artwork of the lift.