Girls’ Golf Rocks
Stonelees Golf Centre is again taking part in a national campaign aimed at encouraging more girls to take up golf.
The Ebbsfleet centre near Ramsgate is one of four Kent clubs involved in this year’s Girls Golf Rocks project, which sees girls aged between five to 18 offered a free taster session followed by a six-week coaching course costing just £35.
The Stonelees taster session will be on Friday, May 10, from 4.30-6.30pm, with the coaching course starting the following Friday.
England Golf, which jointly runs the campaign with the Golf Foundation, said: “At the taster sessions the newcomers will get together with other beginner girls to relax and play fun games.
“PGA professional coaches will lead the activities and Girls Golf Rocks Ambassadors from local clubs and the Kent girls’ squad will be on hand to help and encourage.
“Equipment will be provided and girls can wear what they like as long as it’s comfy and keeps them warm. Trainers are fine for footwear.
“Girls who enjoy the taster can go on to join a beginner coaching group. They’ll join a group of other girls and learn the basics during the six weekly, one-hour sessions.
“They will also have the chance to get out on the golf course on the sixth week and play in a team alongside the Girls Golf Rocks Ambassadors.
“They will also receive a golf club and goody pack to help them continue to play golf.”
The Stonelees sessions will be taken by Gary Bason, the centre’s PGA head professional, who said: “I already run regular coaching classes for girls, which I think is the reason why England Golf have again chosen us as one of their Girls Golf Rocks host clubs, and I’m looking forward to encouraging more girls to take up this great game and make some new friends at the same time.”
For more details ring Stonelees on 01843 823133 or email [email protected]. Bookings can be made by visiting www.girlsgolfrocks.org/Kent
Help with small projects
Broadstairs & St. Peter’s Town Council has put aside money in the budget this year to undertake small scale projects that will help improve the town.
This budget includes funding for an odd job person for a few hours each week and funding for materials.
They have already painted and restored the Chandos Square phonebox and the town council approached Thanet District Council to improve the bandstand utilising the funding from this pot.
Due to the town council working extensively with the Kent, Surrey and Sussex Community Rehabilitation Company (community payback) last year to paint the railings and benches at the bandstand, it seemed a good idea to involve them in this project.
The town council’s odd job person will be repairing the woodwork and the team from community payback will be undertaking all of the sanding down and painting, work will begin in May.
The town council is happy to hear from the community about any small scale projects that they feel will help improve the town.
Neon Blue Tales
An art exhibition is on at Pie Factory Margate, 5 Broad Street, Margate CT9 1EW, May 3-7, open daily 11am-5pm, May 8 open 11am – 1pm.
Sunday, May 5– 3-5pm storytelling and spoken word.
Neon Blue Tales is an eclectic mix of installation, paintings, prints, and words by four creative artists; Annie Taylor, Bev Sage, Clair Meyrick and Meg Wroe.
Showing for the first time together, their work complements each other and will transform the beautiful Pie Factory Gallery.
Annie Taylor creates illustrative and textile art, where mermaids and fairy folk flirt with carnies and Kahlos.
Clair Mayrick is a mother, poet and performer. She divides her time between avoiding housework and performing poetry in Kent, London and on the radio.
Published in journals and online, she is now illustrating her first collection of poetry, combining her love of painting and words.
She enjoys experimenting with watercolours, acrylics, ink and collage.
Bev Sage is a London-based artist who works with print, performance and sound.
Her work contains layered gestural marks, underpinned with a lyrical rhythm, that reflects the universal abstract of graffiti-plastered urban landscapes.
Meg Wroe paints on canvas or carved wood, her work focuses on a sense of wonder in the midst of the ordinary.
Based in London, she visits Margate regularly and has made a series of paintings for this exhibition, of light, sea and sky.
It Came From the Sea
It Came From the Sea festival returns to Margate this August Bank holiday (August 23-25) at Elsewhere in Margate. Elsewhere is an independent record shop, cafe bar and 150 capacity venue in the centre of Margate, located five minutes walk from Margate Main Sands.
Three days of heavy psych, noise, doom and ambient music on two floors.
Weekend tickets are £45, available online at itcamefromthesea.com. Day tickets will become available in August.
New Art Studio
Lana Arkhi’s studio is located in the heart of Broadstairs, a cozy setting for creativity.
In 2017 she was elected a Member of the Royal Society of Miniature painters and in 2018 Lana received People’s Choice Award for the best work presented at the RMS exhibition in the Mall Galleries in London.
One year ago Lana Arkhi opened Kent Talents Art studio where she runs art classes for children and adults.
“I decided to open Kent Talents Art Studio because I saw a definite need for teaching proper drawing and painting from an academic perspective.
“My background is in fine arts and professional art, both as teacher and artist, and so I believe that I have much to offer anyone wishing to delve into the world of art.
“Kent Talents Art Studio offer classes to anyone wishing to learn the techniques of painting and drawing.”
“My art classes are designed for talented children, ages five and up, and for adults.
“I concentrate not on the amount of students but on an individual approach and the quality of teaching, ideally 5-6 people in a class.
“There are workshops available during half-term and summer school holidays.
“My students have the opportunity to use a variety of mediums ranging from pencil, charcoal, pastel, acrylic and watercolour. “
“Due to my education (professional art teacher and artist, master degree in teaching fine arts) I am able to teach different mediums and techniques.”
Anyone interested in creating visual art in their own unique way can contact Lana Arkhi at www.lanaarkhi.com or www.kenttalents.co.uk
Harmony Ladies Choir
Harmony Ladies Choir and friends’ summer concert is being held on Saturday, June 15, at 2.30pm at St Philip’s Church in Palm Bay.
Tickets £8.50 in advance only
Handmade and vintage fair
Back in 2013, artisan Janice Gibbs, who makes stained glass windows and hanging pieces, suggested to Suzy Humphries who ran Nice Things, a shop specialising in local makers’ work, that they join forces and run a monthly Handmade Fair for Ramsgate.
Six years on and the monthly Handmade & Vintage Fair is now a regular event by the harbour and forms a major part of other events like the annual Ramsgate Festival and the Easter event. Having a great selection of stallholders for art, craft and produce creates an attraction for locals and visitors alike.
The colourful striped stalls, hired from Ramsgate Town Council, make it cheerful, joined by many traders in gazebos and with occasional visits from local musicians as buskers, community groups with an activity stall, and a host of food stalls at the biggest events in July. Profits from the year of events are donated to the annual Ramsgate Festival, providing a welcome addition to the fundraising needed for that event.
A fair is being held on Sunday, May 5, on Harbour Parade Ramsgate, close to Wetherspoons and the Royal Victoria Pavilion.
There will be lots of stalls including textiles from Downland Originals, sculptures from My Beach Hut, Dorky Bags, Seahorse Glass, Mr Soapy, Enzo’s Bakery from the Canterbury Goods Shed and Loopy Lou’s dog attire. Fairs continue throughout the year, usually on the first Sunday.
New stallholders are always welcomed at our friendly event, just get in touch to find out more: [email protected] or [email protected].
Organ recital
Blessing and inaugural organ recital at the Shrine of St. Augustine & National Pugin Centre, Ramsgate on May 25, 6.45pm to 9pm.
Tickets £10, U18s free.
To reserve call 07746 281290.
All proceeds go to charity.
Bowls open day
Broadstairs and St Peter’s Bowls Club invite you to their open day on Saturday, May 11, from 10.30am to 3.30pm.
Open to the public, come along and have a go, learn a new skill and have some free professional coaching.
Refreshments avaliable.
Mount Everest challenge
Thanet Business Network is no stranger to challenges in the business world but is taking on a different challenge on May 18.
The members of the local business club are taking on a physical challenge by completing a 30 mile cycle ride early morning before then joining over 25 other club members to scale the equivalent of Mount Everest at the rainbow Augusta steps in Ramsgate.
The challenge only counts those climbing from the bottom to the top and not the steps down. They managed to complete the challenge in under two hours last year and raised over £2,000 for the charity East Kent Independent Dementia Support charity
The collection of local businesses who meet every week at The Swan Public House in their newly refurbished function suite in Westgate, are hoping to go even further this year and raise even more money for this fantastic local charity.
If you would like to come down on Saturday, May 18, at 11am to cheer them on and make a donation they would be most grateful and if you can’t make it but would like to make a donation to help them raise as much money for this amazing local charity you can do so by visiting their Just Giving pagehttps://www.justgiving.com/campaign/TBNEverestAndCycleChallenge2019
Let’s talk about death
By Rakesh Koria, Macmillan GP South Kent Coast CCG.
No one wants to think about the death of a loved one which may be why recent research has shown that around two thirds of us have never spoken to our families or friends about what we want to happen when we die.
But no matter your age or stage in life, discussing and putting practical plans in place to make sure your wishes are clear can take the pressure off you and your loved ones.
I’ve supported many people in Kent and Medway facing these difficult conversations at the end of their lives and their families who wish they’d talked sooner.
At Macmillan, we want everyone, where possible, to have the opportunity to think about what their wishes and preferences towards the end of their life would be.
Then – whenever that time comes – both they and their families can feel more prepared and assured their wishes have been shared.
That’s why we have recently launched a campaign to help more people have a conversation about death with the people they love. And next week the conversation will form a central part of Dying Matters week (May 9 to 13) with the theme of “Are We Ready?” https://www.dyingmatters.org/AwarenessWeek
Margate Rotary Club Boot Fair
The next boot fair is being held at Palm Bay School, Palm Bay on Sunday, May 26.
Please come along for a fun morning and support your local community.
For more details please contact 01843 221315
Silver Spring
A variety of events and taster activities aimed at showcasing leisure and social activities for over 55s in Thanet will take place in Ramsgate this month.
Silver Spring, which has been billed as the “smaller sibling” by organisers Kent Coast Volunteering (KCV), is a National Lottery Community-funded initiative, designed to offer a snapshot of what leisure and support exists for older residents within the Thanet community.
The event kicks off on Saturday, May 11, at Pie Factory, High Street, St Lawrence (12pm-4pm), where there will be everything from holistic therapies, to the chance of trying out Boccia (an inclusive indoor sport similar to bowls) and Pickleball, as well as sharing memories of growing up during the War, taking part in a singing lesson, or even trying a spot of line-dancing.
And for those with a thirst for history, just down the road on the same day, St Laurence-in-Thanet church – the oldest in Thanet, founded in 1062 – will be open to the public for a tour (12pm-12:45pm), followed by light refreshments, and ‘Mr Ramsgate’ himself, Ralph Hoult OBE, treating guests to a scintillating talk with archive photographic and motion pictures on the subject of ‘Old Thanet: A trip Down Memory Lane’ (1:15pm-2:15pm).
KCV social inclusion coordinator Claire Singleton said: “When we did Silver Sunday at Dreamland last year, we were amazed at how many members of the public told us that they would otherwise have been at home alone – but that by attending the event they had met new people, learned and tried new things, and had great fun.
“Silver Spring will help people access the full range of leisure and social activities on offer in Thanet, plus connect them with any support that they, or their friends, family, neighbours and carers might need.”
On Sunday, May 19, Silver Spring moves on to the Ellington Park May Fayre (12pm-6pm) where a marquee will host more free, age-friendly and inclusive taster sessions, including ‘FitSteps’ for those who love to dance and would like a low-intensity way of keeping fit (12:30pm-1pm), chair-based exercises (1pm-1:45pm), ‘Laughter Yoga’ – increasingly seen as a means of reducing feelings of stress, depression and pain (2pm-2:45pm), and more line-dancing (3pm-3:45pm).
On both days there will also be an opportunity to say ‘hello’ to the KCV team, who will be on hand to chat with event-goers about the rich gamut of volunteering opportunities locally, as well as support services provided by the Thanet community for the benefit of older people across the Isle.
All activities are free at Silver Spring, and no pre-booking is required – though some are on a first-come, first-served basis on the day.
You can find out more about Silver Spring and Kent Coast Volunteering by visiting www.kcv.org.uk/events, calling 01843 609336, or emailing [email protected].
Hilderstone Radio Society
The Hilderstone Radio Society has exchanged letters of agreement with the 1st Margate (St Johns) Scout Group to allow the society to use the Scout HQ as their new meeting place.
The first meeting in their new home will be on June 13.
This joint venture of two long established local community-based groups will enable both to develop upon their history as they reach into the future.
1st Margate have for many years brought Scouting to the youth of Margate at their Durban Road HQ, whilst the Hilderstone Radio Society has been the club for many of Thanet’s radio amateurs.
Recently the society was again awarded the title of ‘regional club of the year’, the sixth year in the row, by the Radio Society of Great Britain.
Three years ago, the 1st Margate approached the Hilderstone Radio Society to help with Jamboree on the Air, JOTA, where Scout groups exchange messages of friendship with each other all over the world using amateur radio. This led to a developing friendship between the two groups.
In recent years, the Hilderstone Radio Society has been meeting in the hall behind the Crampton Tower Museum in Broadstairs twice a month but with a growing membership, a need for more space with separate rooms to allow for training and multiple activities was needed.
So an approach was made to the 1st Margate which has led to this happy agreement that will be mutually beneficial for both organisations and to the wider Thanet community.
John Marshall, Group Scout Leader, said: “We are looking forward to a long joint relationship. Amateur radio has a lot of opportunities to offer young people and our scouts will learn about electronics, radio communications and science from the club members.”
Ian Lowe, Club Secretary, said: “It is fantastic to have a new home that will accommodate our growing membership and give us an opportunity to reach out to Thanet’s youth and give them a greater understanding of technology.”
Rejoining Jane
Rejoining Jane’ is an immersive contemporary dance performance, set within a cafe, which has been touring all over the UK since 2017.
The performers tell the story of knitwear-clad Jane the eccentric traveller, through movement, dialogue and music.
The audiences’ and the performers’ journey travels from Bromley to Papua New Guinea (via Ibiza!) with various escapades and secrets that unfold along the way.
We’re on a mission to take dance out of the theatre and have been touring to small community focused cafes all over the UK since 2017.
We will be coming to Margate on June 9 at Cliffs Cafe.
You can find out more about the project on our website here www.ticktockbridget.com or check out our trailer at https://vimeo.com/327991671
STEAMettes
Five nine-year-old girls who call themselves the STEAMettes (they love science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics) have been successful in getting their greetings message sent to the astronauts on the International Space Station for Mission Zero by the European Space Agency.
Caitlin, Gracie, Alice, Natalie and Cecilia wrote the message particularly for the two female astronauts on board, Christina Koch and Anne McClain.
They gave a presentation to the Monkton Stargazers explaining how they wrote the coding in Python for the Raspberry Pi computer which is on board the ISS.
They also had to display the temperature to the astronauts.
The girls have used their digital animation skills to take part in Lumen’s astronomy exhibition called Cosmic Sublime at the Pie Factory Gallery.
They coded animations to show a rocket in space, the planets in the solar system, the life and death of our Sun, some constellations and a black hole swallowing a galaxy.
The other artists were most impressed with the girls’ work and they have been asked to submit their work to Lumen’s next exhibition in London.
Photography
In April Isle of Thanet Photographic Society welcomed back speaker and judge Darren Woolway who gave a fascinating insight into commercial photography.
He explained how he works to respond to clients and how much planning is needed to get the right shots, particularly for high profile events like the Notting Hill Carnival.
The club’s last quarterly print competition of the year was expertly judged by Clive Tanner.
He provided an excellent commentary on each of the 40 entries.
Steve Hewitt won the intermediate group and Peter Brewer came first in the advanced group.
An inter-club competition was held at the end of April between us and Gateway Camera Club from Dover on the subject of nature.
Glyn Bareham had the difficult task of judging the 40 entries and was impressed by the overall quality. Gateway won by a small margin in what was a closely fought contest.
Thanet then went on to compete for the East Kent Cup, the other contenders being camera clubs from Folkestone, Deal, Canterbury and Gateway, who were this year’s hosts.
Kirsty Ralfs had the challenge of judging an eclectic range of subjects in digital and print formats. Her critique of each was warmly welcomed by the large audience that had gathered for the evening. Overall winners were Gateway (Dover); whilst our club were placed joint third. Folkestone will host the 2020 competition.
Our AGM will be held on June 10 and the 2019/20 programme will be published before September when our next season starts.
We’d love to increase our membership and welcome applications from everyone who is interested in photography.
For full details of membership and other news please visit our website: www.isleofthanetphotographicsociety,co.uk