Thanet community news: From model railways to community kindness and a drama festival

The Care Match team

Care Match UK

Care Match UK, and our sister companies Elite Staffing and Elite at Home are doing the challenges throughout the year for Dementia UK.

Care Match UK is a Margate-based care consultancy, training and staffing agency for care services in the local area and nationwide.

This year, we are fundraising vital funds for Dementia UK with various challenges throughout the year.

Marketing manager Natasha Karczewski is taking on the London Skyscraper challenge in September, where she will run up and abseiling down the Cheesegrater building.

On April 28th, the team will be walking from its offices in Hartsdown Park to Reculver as a sponsored walk. This averages about 12-15k depending on routes but they will be passing by some of the care homes to gain some support.

On May 26th the company opening its Dementia Interpreter training to the public for a donation, as this is usually exclusive to care services. They currently have a few spots left, so if anyone would like to book this in it is at 10am – 3pm in the offices and to book email hello@carematchuk.co.uk.

Natasha said: “Our Dementia Interpreter course is designed to give delegates an insight into what it is like to live with the types of Dementia, such as Aphasia, and how these affect their senses and causes impairments and overall change the delegate’s approach to care by being able to empathise, give them more tools, use other means of communication and be able to interpret their behaviours to fulfil their needs effectively.

“We use simulations/experimental elements that help the delegate with their empathy and understanding, impacting their care skills and approach. The course is nationally recognised and really differentiates itself from other learning and e-learning, especially with its innovative method.”

You can see a small snippet of what you can expect here: https://youtu.be/IPZXCCoQKCs and also further information here: https://youtu.be/dYQ7Vm4Pqeo

In the summer the team plans to do a Dover to Calais distance team collaborative run using a treadmill and taking turns until they hit 100k.

In September, Natasha takes on the London Landmarks Skyscraper challenge, running up 42 floors of The Cheesegrater and then a 200 meters abseil down the side!

Birchington Men’s Shed and Hornby Hobbies

Model railway manufacturer Hornby Hobbies has come to the rescue of a community men’s group worried it wouldn’t be able to take its train layout to Birchington Model Railway Exhibition because it didn’t have enough rolling stock to run on it.

Saturday 15 April sees the exhibition, organised by Whitstable based East Kent Model Railway Society, open its doors at The Centre in Alpha Road, between 10am and 4pm when Birchington Man Shed is among the line up with its work-in-progress TT120 scale layout.

But the group only has one locomotive and a rake of carriages to run on it – a big ask if the model train has to run almost non-stop for several hours.

After a series of emails and phone calls between EKMRS, Hornby’s marketing team and Man Shed members, Hornby has generously stepped in with three more locomotives along with a number of carriages and wagons to use for the occasion.

Simon Kohler, Hornby’s Product Development and Marketing Director, and Jade Fowler, Hornby Marketing & Product Development Assistant, visited Birchington Man Shed’s HQ at Quex Park last week to see its layout and hand over the models.

Simon said: “When we heard about Man Shed’s situation and the possibility of them having to drop out, we were only too happy to help. The TT120 scale range is a recent development for Hornby and the event presents an ideal opportunity to showcase these new model trains.”

Mike Kite, who leads the Man Shed’s model railway group, was delighted by
Hornby’s gesture. He said: “It looked like being quite a challenge to keep one model train running on the layout all day – and perhaps not very interesting for onlookers either. We really appreciate Hornby’s help with this.

“We started building our TT layout about three months ago and while it’s not finished, we’re making good progress making scenery and laying track during our meetings on Mondays. We chose this scale because we are able to include more detail in a layout which takes up less space than the more common OO scale trains.”

TT, or table top, scale is around two thirds of the size of OO scale models. It was launched following significant investment by Hornby earlier this year, aiming to attract modellers who may have less space in their homes for model trains.

Jade Fowler said: “We’re delighted to be working with a community group so close to our base in Margate and hope we can build links with more local enthusiasts in the months ahead.”

EKMRS Chairman Nick Evans said: “It’s a real case of Hornby to the rescue here. We were encouraging Man Shed to take part in our exhibition and this is made far easier now the guys have a good selection of some of Hornby’s latest model trains to use.”

Birchington Model Railway Exhibition will be held on Saturday 15 April between 10am and 4pm at The Centre, Alpha Road, Birchington, CT7 9EG. Some 15 layouts and several model traders will be taking part in the event. Adult admission is £4 each while children under 16 are free, provided they are accompanied by a paying adult.

Your Move Margate

A big thank you to all that entered our Easter Egg competition.

We received some fabulous entries and picking 1 winner was very difficult.

A huge thank you to NK Taylor for choosing our winner!

A big well done to Katherine Brown. Here’s a picture of the very happy winner with her drawing and £50 book voucher!

Maskell & Uden

Wow!  82 Easter Eggs donated by the good people of Thanet.

Thanks to everyone who supported our appeal and for bringing a little bit of kindness into the lives of local families this Easter.

They have made their way to the foodbanks at the Salvation Army in Ramsgate and Baptist Church in Birchington. Thank you to Jacqueline and Maddy, respectfully, for being such great people to work with.

Crafty Poppies

The Crafty Poppies group has gifted Ramsgate’s Salvation Army a 2 metre crochet cross for Easter.

The Independent Vindicatrix of East Kent Association – M.N.

The meeting was opened at 1955 hours on Thursday, April 6th; 2023 in the Function Room at The Racing Greyhound pub in Ramsgate with a good attendance of members and wives.  Received apologies were given from a number of members who for various reasons were unable to attend. The previous minutes were accepted as a true account and passed by the meeting and there were no matters arising from them.  The Secretary formally resigned from the position and asked for nominations for the post but it was unanimous that the Secretary should remain in position so no vote was taken.  The Secretary thanked the meeting for their faith and trust in him.

A full and detailed Financial Report was given for the past year which gives us a good financial start again for the coming year.  Annual subscriptions remain at £5.00p and must be paid by our next quarterly meeting.  Reports were given on members health problems and we gave our best wishes to them all.

A report was given on our delayed annual New Year Dinner which took place on March 18th; 2023 at The Racing Greyhound with another good attendance of members, wives and supporters where we enjoyed another great meal from attentive staff. The evening ended with a raffle which raised £115.00p and all were thanked.

It was reported that this year’s annual National Merchant Navy Day at the National Merchant Navy Memorial at Tower Hill, London will be on the actual date of September 3rd; and names were requested in order for the Secretary to book the coach.  This Commemoration Service is open to all seafarers or supporters of the M.N. pending availability.   Due to this we will be unable to attend the hoisting of our Red Ensign around Thanet on this day but it is hoped and wished that all towns will continue to fly it in support on this day.

Our South East Queensland Vindicatrix Association in Australia has finally folded due to the same problems as all, low members and ill-health but are to continue as a social club.  Their new title will be  The Merchant Mariners Social Club and we wish them well.  A report was given on the Channel Dash Commemoration held at Ramsgate in February with a good attendance and is now run by the Ramsgate RNA.

We have received information from the Ramsgate Mayor’s Office regarding Armed Forces Day in June and we will again attend to represent the Merchant Navy.  It was proposed that members and wives may like to attend a social day on a large Dutch barge in Sandwich Marina in the summer which has seating, tables, a bar and all facilities.  Members will vote on this at our next meeting.  Our next meeting will be on Thursday, June 29th; 2023. The meeting closed at 2045 hours.

Social Enterprise Kent

We are pleased to announce we are working with DCMS to deliver the Social Enterprise Boost, to kick start and accelerate social enterprise activity Thanet!

Social Enterprise Kent along with order regional delivery partners, announced a new funded business support scheme funded by The Department for Culture, Media and Sport. This business support scheme will support start up social enterprises/entrepreneurs with professional advice and support, peer networking and grant funding.

“We are thrilled to be delivering this new free business support scheme for Thanet social businesses. By empowering and uplifting these businesses, we are not only helping them succeed, but also contributing to the betterment of the Thanet community as a whole.” says Rebecca Smith, CEO at Social Enterprise Kent. “We are excited to see the positive impact this initiative will have on our local economy and community.”

The benefits of this new fund include.

Delivery of 1:1 business support to existing and new social enterprises

Driving growth and encouraging entrepreneurs to generate new idea for social business ventures

Creating a local network of social businesses and local authority

Social Enterprise Kent is a well established not-for-profit who are committed to delivering positive social change. Every day We strive to empower individuals, business leaders and communities to be more resilient, overcome challenges, and flourish.

The Crispe Charity

Calling children’s and youth group leaders, and school students urrently in year 13 in Birchington or Acol!

This local charity may be able to help you with the finances of your group with small cash grants.

This local charity may be able to help you settle into higher education or apprenticeships with small cash grants.

Completed applications need to be received by 15th October.

For an application form please write or telephone

Ann Story, 8 Nursery Fields, Acol, Birchington, ct7 0jf

01843 846651

Or email [email protected]

Broadstairs Beavers donate to Pilgrims Hospices

The generous 11th Broadstairs Beavers, visited Pilgrims Hospice Thanet with Tracey Garnier, to present their donation of £200. The Beavers had been saving money each week, to help support people who need important Pilgrims care. They were interested to find out more about activities that take place in the Therapy Centre, and enjoyed a craft session during their visit.

Jane Stanley, Wellbeing Practitioner: “It was such a great evening! We had prepared packs of 3D desktop beavers to make, and coiling dreamcatcher snakes to decorate. After a brief overview of some of the Wellbeing groups here at Pilgrims, the Beaves ‘beavered’ on with the crafts. They enjoyed the cheque handover and having their photograph taken. We also had a new Beaver invested into the group, and they all marched out happily holding their beavers and snakes.

“They loved hearing about the groups we run for patients, and seeing the warm safe space of our Therapy Centre, while enjoying the cutting and sticking crafts. They thought about a message to put in their desktop beaver; one wrote a message for someone who had been unkind to them at school, and was going to give the beaver to them as a gift.

“The evening showed the kindness of this community group, donating a fantastic sum to the good work done at Pilgrims.”

Tracey Garnier, Unit Clerk: “I am Tracey (Tic Tac) my Beaver name, and I work as the Unit Clerk in Pilgrims Hospice Thanet. I joined the hospice team a year ago, after a career change, having previously worked in education for 26 years as a learning support assistant. My other assistant leader also works at the hospice – Caroline (Tu Tu) is part of the fundraising team, and joined our group 5 years ago, after coming on a Beavers District Hike which was donating money to Pilgrims Hospices.

“Each week we encourage the Beavers to bring in small change which is collected and then donated to a charity. Over the COVID period, we were not allowed to meet so this all stopped.

“I approached Billy Williams, Pilgrims Wellbeing Lead, to see if it would be possible for the Beavers to visit the therapy area, and undertake an art activity. I wanted the Beavers to see how their donation would help to support local people who need care; helping them to understand having seen the physical place.

“Jane has been amazing and came up with some ideas and beavered away to make sure everything was ready for the evening. We asked the Beavers some general questions then asked Jane to tell us what it is that happens in that area. They were very interested and surprised by the variety of things. We then started the art activity which they really enjoyed.

“I hope to incorporate some other activities in our coming sessions, and hope to visit the hospice again. Watch this space.”

Caroline Dixon, from Pilgrims said: “We had a fabulous time with our Broadstairs Beavers, they were really keen to learn, and by visiting the hospice, it’s given them an opportunity to find out first-hand about the special care we offer here.”

Please visit www.pilgrimshospices.org/fundraising if you would like to run an event and raise awareness for local hospice care.

Each year, Pilgrims Hospices give care and comfort to over 2,500 people in east Kent who are coming to terms with an illness that sadly cannot be cured. The charity support patients to live life as well as possible until the very end, free from pain and distress.

Chartwell House

Thanet’s Chartwell House care home is launching a community initiative aimed at connecting children and the elderly to combat loneliness and isolation.

The project, called the Community Kindness Project, encourages children to write letters to elderly residents, sharing experiences, stories, and life lessons to build friendships and foster understanding between the generations.

Loneliness and social isolation are significant issues affecting a large number of older people, with Age UK reporting that more than two million people in England over the age of 75 live alone, and more than a million go for over a month without speaking to anyone. The Community Kindness Project aims to address this issue in Thanet by connecting elderly residents with the wider community and promoting positive social interaction.

Diane Collins, Home Manager at Chartwell House, spoke about the inspiration behind the project: “We wanted to find a way to bring together different generations in the community and combat the isolation and loneliness that many elderly people face. By encouraging children to write letters to our residents and those living in the community, we hope to not only provide companionship but also create an opportunity for the sharing of knowledge and life lessons.”

The project will begin by partnering with Cliftonville Primary School, where students will be given the opportunity to write letters to residents at Chartwell House and those living in the community. The letters will be collected by Chartwell House and then passed on to residents, who will then be able to respond and continue the correspondence.

Through this project, children will not only be given an opportunity to practice their writing skills but also develop empathy, respect, and kindness towards older people. Letter writing is a unique way to communicate, and it offers children an opportunity to learn and express themselves creatively while forming new friendships through pen and paper.

In addition to the partnership with Cliftonville Primary School, the project is also being run in association with Caremark, a leading local provider of domiciliary care services. Caremark will be facilitating the letter writing between their carers and those receiving home care, with local school children, helping to further connect the generations in the local community.

Diane added: “We’re excited to launch this project and see the positive impact it will have on both the children and the elderly residents involved. It’s a wonderful opportunity for everyone to learn from each other and build new friendships.”

As the project continues to develop, there are plans to host in-person events to bring the pen pals together, fostering even stronger connections between the generations. These events will provide an opportunity for the children to meet the elderly residents face to face, learn from their experiences, and share in activities together.

The benefits of intergenerational programs like this are well-documented, with studies showing improved social skills, decreased negative attitudes towards aging, and increased empathy and understanding between the generations.

To get involved in the Chartwell House Community Kindness Project, children can speak to their class teacher to learn more about how to participate.

Local elderly residents who would like to be involved can send a postcard to Chartwell House with their address and an introduction of themselves.

Chartwell House, 26 Draco Drive, Off Star Lane, Broadstairs, CT9 4FY

Chartwell House will then pass on the postcard to their partner schools, and will connect residents with pupils to facilitate the letter-writing project.

The Chartwell House Community Kindness Project is set to be a model for community engagement, demonstrating the power of simple acts of kindness to create connections and promote well-being.

Thanet Music, Drama And Dance Festival

The Miss Vyse Cup was presented to Luna Sarafoglou

The Gala Concert and Prize-giving for the Thanet Music, Drama and Dance Festival took place on Friday 24th March at the Sarah Thorne Theatre, Broadstairs

This concert celebrated the outstanding achievements of the entrants in the five various classes, (Speech & Drama, Vocal, Dance, Piano and Instrumental), and several winners from each section performed for the audience, displaying a wide variety of talents.

The oldest entrant, pensioner Roger P Lee, gave a fine rendition of “If I were a rich man” from Fidler on the Roof as a tribute to the entertainer Topol, who died just a few weeks ago.

The main trophy of the evening, the Miss Vyse Cup, was presented to Luna Sarafoglou, who gained the highest average mark in three or more sections. Luna had entered the vocal, speech and drama, plus the dance section, achieving first place in all of them.

The trophies were awarded by V.I.P. guest Dr David Flood. Until his retirement in 2020 Dr Flood had completed 42 years as organist and Choir Master at Canterbury Cathedral. He made many recordings with the Cathedral Choir and also toured with them in America and Europe.

Other guests included the Mayor of Margate, Cllr Heather Keen and the Mayor of Broadstairs, Cllr. Roy Dexter.

The evening’s proceedings were all introduced by Janice Regan, who is Chairman of the Festival Committee.

The whole evening was a celebration of the arts in Thanet, with winners of all ages, displaying a wide variety of talents.

Hereson reunion

These pictures show our school friends who were together at Hereson between 1954/58. The reunion, organised by ex-Hereson boy Sid Anning,  was going to be specifically for class 1B1, but it was very difficult to find them. So he opened it up to those who was there at the same time.

Sid said: “We had a lovely time with plenty of pictures and a lovely buffet at the Racing Greyhound on Saturday afternoon.

“It was to celebrate the fact that we are to date or will soon be in the coming months 80 years of age.

Sid also has a plea for help. He said: “About six months ago I lost my wedding ring I think at or around the Dreamland building or outside. My wife and I had them inscribed inside the ring saying OF ONE COMPANY. If anyone has any knowledge of the ring as it’s special to me It would be very much appreciated.” [email protected]

Martha Trust

Superior Healthcare is thrilled to announce its partnership with Martha Trust as the Headline Events Sponsor for 2023.

The collaboration is founded on their admiration for the outstanding service provided by Martha Trust to individuals with profound disabilities and the comfort they bring to clients and their families.

Martha Trust is a UK charity that provides lifelong care for individuals with profound and multiple disabilities.

The charity organises a range of events throughout the year, providing an opportunity for

fundraising and raising awareness of the charity's cause. Superior Healthcare is honoured to be associated with such a fantastic organisation and support them in their fundraising efforts.

“We are delighted to become the Headline Events Sponsor for Martha Trust in 2023," said Stewart Thorp, CEO of Superior Healthcare. “As a provider of high-quality homecare services, we recognise the importance of the amazing work that Martha Trust does. This partnership allows us to work together to enhance the charity’s fundraising efforts and enable our employees to give back to the community by volunteering their time.”

As the Headline Events Sponsor, Superior Healthcare will support Martha Trust’s various events and fundraising activities throughout the year, including their German Music Night, Car Challenge Bonkers in Barcelona and Music on the Farm. In addition, Superior Healthcare will be providing employees with time away from their desk to volunteer with projects at Martha Trust, fostering a culture of community involvement and social responsibility.

“We are thrilled to have Superior Healthcare as our Headline Events Sponsor for 2023,”said Julie Gayler, CEO of Martha Trust. “Their support will help us to raise vital funds for our ongoing work plus their employees involvement in volunteering projects will have a significant impact on the people we support.”