Thanet community news: Shrine anniversary, 90th birthday, lifeguard donation, Thanet Expo, Camera club, Blue Plaques, Martha Trust and Macmillan

St Augustine's Shrine Photo Marie Muscat King

10th Anniversary of St Augustine’s Shrine

A very joyful and jolly celebration took place in Ramsgate when Archbishop John Wilson arrived to celebrate Mass at St Augustine’s.

Newsreader Alastair Stewart, an old boy of St Augustine’s School, joined local dignitaries including the Mayor Raushan Ara, Dannii Lancefield and Simon Marshal, headteachers of the Ursuline College and St Ethelbert’s schools and many local clergy including monks from the former monastery.   The Archbishop preached on the need for evangelisation in the modern world in the mould of St Augustine.  Afterwards the congregation queued for photos with Archbishop John, then repaired to the Cartoon Room in Pugin’s Grange for the reception.

Photo Marie Muscat King

St Augustine’s is world famous for being the “ideal church” of leading Victorian architect Augustus Pugin – most famous for designing Big Ben.  It is attracting increasing numbers of visitors, including many from abroad, who are stunned by its beauty and charmed by the seaside delights of Ramsgate.  A Shrine to St Augustine of Canterbury since 2012, it is also an increasingly important pilgrimage destination, both for those arriving by coach and those walking one of the pilgrimage trails such as the Augustine Camino and the Way of St Augustine.

After almost being sold off in 2011 – St Augustine’s has been transformed.  A £340k Roof Renovation Project has just been completed, funded by the Catholic Bishop’s Conference of England and Wales – ultimately from a Government Covid Recovery Grant – the Benefact Trust and Lottery Community Fund plus many individual donations.

The grade one listed building is open for visits every day except Tuesday and Sunday from 12.30 – 3.30pm and by request.  All are welcome to this gem of a building which all residents of Thanet can be justly proud of.

If anyone would like to volunteer at St Augustine’s just get in touch at [email protected]

Maurice Morris birthday party

Photo Frank Leppard

Some 50 people turned out to help Margate’s Maurice Morris celebrate his 90th birthday.

Shirley Tomlinson, from Thanet’s Age UK, arranged the party at the Greek Taverna in Westgate to mark the milestone.

Photo Frank Leppard

Instantly recognisable as a Margate fixture, Maurice has lived his entire life in the town and is a familiar figure to many.

From the 1950s to 1990s Maurice worked in various roles at Dreamland, including as an usher at the cinema.

A regular at the Margate carnival and known for delivering local papers in recent years, Maurice is a much loved resident of Dane Valley. In 2017 he was presented a Dane Valley citizen award in a scheme launched by the then-ward councillors.

Thanet Lifeguard Club

Housebuilder Barratt Homes is helping to encourage safer swimming in and around Ramsgate with a £250 donation to Thanet Lifeguard Club.

As the club continues to grow, the donation from Barratt Kent will assist with the costs of relocating its club house, which will be used as a place for members to rest and store equipment. The additional space will enable Thanet Lifeguard Club to continue to offer crucial lifesaving skills and training to the community, including CPR, first aid training and RLSSUK’s Rookie and Survive and Save programmes.

Faye Burnap, spokesperson for Thanet Lifeguard Club, said: “The Clubhouse is an integral part of our service, and is a much needed place for members to rest and rejuvenate in between sessions. Over the last couple of years, we have seen the club grow, meaning that we need a bigger and more modern area for our members to enjoy. We are very grateful to Barratt Kent for its donation, which will help us to continue to offer our lifesaving services to the community.”

Natalie Perry, Sales and Marketing Director for Barratt Kent, added: “We are proud to support Thanet Lifeguard Club’s mission to keep swimmers safe in the local area. A key part of this is making sure that the club’s facilities remain up to date, so that they can continue to invest in learning new skills and teaching lifesaving skills to the local community. We’re proud to contribute to the modernisation of the club house for members to enjoy and relax in, and we look forward to seeing the finished space when it is ready.”

Barratt Kent is currently building homes at the Spitfire Green development in Ramsgate.

Thanet Expo

Academy FM is organising Thanet EXPO on Wednesday 26th October, 10am – 3pm at The Royal Harbour Academy, Marlowe Way, Ramsgate. The event will showcase the wealth of great businesses, education, community groups, charities, projects and more, available in Thanet. Plus, Academy FM studio tours, entertainment and refreshments.

Businesses and other organisations are most welcome to promote and sell on the day and there is an opportunity if they have job vacancies, to recruit.

The event is open to the public, entry is FREE, and we have invited students interested in further education and employment from across East Kent. There will be an interview hub available on the day, where businesses and voluntary groups can hold informal interviews.

The event will also have a pop-up workshop space, for both businesses and the public. The workshops will be: ‘Getting the Most Out of Social Media’, ‘Caring and Sharing’ and ‘Dealing with Stress and Disabilities in the Workplace’.

Exhibitor’s Spaces 2m x 2m are FREE, there is a small charge for larger spaces.

For more information and to book a stall, please contact Chris West, Business Manager: [email protected]

The Event is sponsored by Caremark Thanet.

Isle of Thanet Photographic Society

High quality entries for the club’s first print competition of the season presented judge Nick Ryan with a great choice to assess. His excellent critique was readily welcomed by members as it helps to learn how changes in composition and technique can improve their images. The range of subjects, from portraits to landscapes and still life illustrated the wide variety of members’ interests.

Still Life by Clare Pickett

From the top 5 scores in our Intermediate and Advanced groups, two of our newer members were runners-up. Their images – Still Life by Clare Pickett and Looking up at the Leas by Toni-Luan Ellerington – are great examples of the different images submitted in our competitions.

Club members are encouraged to give presentations at meetings and we are delighted that our brilliant nature photographer from Broadstairs, John Draper, will be giving a talk on 17 November about photographing local wildlife. Most of the photos to illustrate the talk are taken within a maximum of 2 hours’ drive from his home and the majority of those within an hour. All photos are taken from public places: hides, paths, beaches, or parks accessible to anyone. We look forward to another excellent talk which is open to members and non-members.

Looking up at the Leas by Toni-Luan Ellerington

Meetings are on Thursdays at 7.30 pm at the Portland Centre, St. Peter’s, Broadstairs. Annual adult membership costs just £35 and the weekly fee is £4 (£5 for non-members).

We are always looking for inspirational guest speakers and competition judges so anyone who would like to come and support the club in this way would be most welcome to get in touch via our website or email: [email protected]

For further information about the club, including membership and the programme, please visit our website: www.isleofthanetphotographicsociety.co.uk or find us on Facebook.

Blue Plaque unveiling

Photo Carl Hudson

Margate Civic Society and The Margate School  joined forces to install two Blue Plaques on Kent County Council’s Kent Adult Education Centre in Hawley Square.

The plaques celebrate notable artists, Walter Sickert and Christopher Alexander – who taught in the building at the time when it was Thanet School of Art.

Photo Carl Hudson

The Plaques were unveiled by the Mayor of Margate, Cllr Heather Keen, on Friday (October 21).

Blue Plaques to artists Walter Sickert and Christopher Alexander to be unveiled in Margate

Martha Trust

The Martha Trust Golf day in association with Barclays Ramsgate  and former West Indies and Kent Cricketer John Shepherd held at Princes Golf Club, Sandwich Bay, was a fantastic success raising just over a record breaking £11,700  for the charity.

The auction raised  £3970 for the charity alone, with prizes such as a Golfing Break donated by Princes Golf Club , a 4 Ball of Golf donated by The Royal St Georges Golf Club and a chance to drive a Jaguar F Type Sports Car for the weekend , donated by Barretts Group.

The event results were 1st place “Princes 1”, 2nd place “Princes 2 ”  3rd place “Putts Pirates and in 4th place “ Elysian Field.”  Nearest the Pins were won by Nathan Charlton, Craig Donohue, Julian Sinstadt, Chris Wright and Liz Harris – Ulph.

Kerry Banks BEM, Fundraising & Events Officer for Martha Trust, said:” ‘We are delighted that the day was such an enormous success and are so incredibly grateful to Princes Golf Club and the golfing community for rallying around to help us stage such a special day. We raised the most we have ever raised at this golf day for our wonderful residents at Martha!

“The golfers were in high spirits; we had some fabulous feedback and are already at full capacity for next year’s day on 17th October 2023!

“We would like to say a huge thanks to our hole sponsors 9G Websites, Big Shot Golf, Bloody Marys High St Deal, Bumper2Bumper, Castles Removals, Chris and Jeanette Goulding, Dunkerley’s Of Deal, Hutchings Timber Ltd, J&R Carpets ltd, K & M Roofing, Mark Bulley Positive Solutions Ltd, Rent A Bar, Solley’s Ice Cream Parlour, The Larder Catering Services ,The Port Arms ,The King’s Head ,TrueCut Diamond Drilling and  UR Safety Ltd -we simply couldn’t do what we do without you and your amazing support of the event!”

Martha Trust would like to congratulate all the winning teams and thank everyone who took part, not least Princes Golf Club for the amazing venue, Rob and Ali McGuirk along with the staff from Princes for all their support and John Shepherd for hosting such a great event.

Martha Trust will be holding two golf days next year: Walmer & Kingsdown Golf Day on Friday 21st April 2023 and Princes Golf Club on Tuesday 17th October 2023.

They will also be running their Golf Marathon4Martha from June – August where the highest fundraising team can win a fabulous prize as well as team prizes along the way.

If you would like to register your interest to play at Walmer & Kingsdown or sponsor either of these events, please contact Kerry Banks on 01304 610448 or email [email protected]

Macmillan Cancer Support

Being diagnosed with cancer can be a frightening experience, but for many Deaf people, living with cancer can have additional challenges.

The pandemic highlighted a number of barriers to accessing cancer information and support for the Deaf community. This included lack of interpreters at some medical appointments and a shortage of cancer information in British Sign Language (BSL).

There are 11 million people in the UK who are Deaf or hard of hearing and 1 in 2 people will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime. So, it is simply unacceptable that Deaf people do not have equal access to vital support.

That’s why Macmillan Cancer Support and Self Help UK have joined forces to improve support for Deaf people living with cancer in Kent.

The Macmillan Deaf Cancer Support Project will offer virtual one-on-one emotional and practical support in British Sign Language (BSL) through trained Deaf volunteers by videocall, email and WhatsApp. The 2-year pilot will also support carers, including Deaf people who are supporting a hearing person with cancer.

This virtual project will help to empower Deaf people by enabling them to share their experiences and support each other by creating and supporting, new and existing Deaf peer support groups.

No one should have to fight to access cancer information and support and we will do whatever it takes to be there for everyone living with cancer.

To find out more about the new project and access cancer support in BSL visit www.selfhelp.org.uk/deafcancersupport

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