Groups and individuals to be recognised at Margate mayor’s community awards and picnic event

Margate mayor Cllr Rob Yates and the Margate Charter Trustees have announced the return of The Mayor’s Community Awards.

A community picnic and awards ceremony at the Sunken Garden in Westbrook next Saturday (August 19) will shine the spotlight on the local grassroots community groups and thank the many unsung people who do so much for Margate.

The event, which will run from 4pm-8pm, is family friendly, open to the community and free to attend. It will feature performances from the Social Singing Choir, a raffle with prizes from local artists, authors, and restaurants and much more.

Residents are being encouraged to come along with their picnic blankets and baskets and use this as an opportunity to meet each other, the hardworking volunteers and workers.

Cllr Yates said: “The Margate community is the backbone of our town and this is driven not by profit, but by kindness. This event is our way of saying thank you and giving these organisations a voice, so we can hear from them, look to solve their problems and make our town even stronger. ”

The Mayor will be co-hosting the event with support from community champion and director of Resort Studios Ayaan Bulale.

She said: “Through my work with the many communities in Margate, I have witnessed first-hand the impact of grassroots workers on our residents from poverty relief and volunteers translating forms for those new to the English language to creating events such as Margate Soul Fest, which is now the largest soul festival in Europe, and still has free events in and around town to make sure it is accessible to all.”

The Mayor will personally thank and bestow handcrafted awards from Clayspace to 40 community groups across the seven wards of Margate and they each will have a chance to speak about the important work they deliver day in day out.

The event would not be possible without the support from the Sunken Gardens Society, Clayspace, Margate Rotary Club, the Sea Cadets, McDonald’s, sponsorship from the Albion Rooms, and the kind locals who continue to donate raffle prizes.

Community groups receiving awards:

Feeding Margate:

101 Social, Mi Community Foodbank, Thank Foodlink

Young People:

Arts Education Exchange, Open School East, Mama to Mama, Quarterdeck Youth Centre, Yo Street Zone

Green space:

Garlinge Phoenix Project, Windmill Community Gardens, Wilderness to Wonderland, Rise Up Clean Up, Sunken Garden society, Garden Gate, Thanet Coastal Project Officer, Dave Valley Woods

Seniors:

Social Enterprise Kent (Ageless Thanet), Pilgrims Hospice

Health and Wellbeing:

Speak up CIC, Margate Park Run, Margate RNLI, East Kent Mencap, Margate Task Force, Porchlight open door

Safe Space:

United Mothers, People Dem Collective, OASIS, Thanet Iceberg Project, Compass, Margate Black Pride, Margate Salvation Army

Community Space:

Holy Trinity Church, Cliftonville Cultural Centre, St Paul’s Church and Cliftonville Community Centre, Elsewhere, Oval Bandstand, Margate School, Al-Birr Community Centre and Mosque

LGBTQIA:

Sundowners, Camp, Margate Pride

Margate Legends:

Sharon Goodyer (Our Kitchen foodbank)

Roxy (Old Town Market)

Eli Thompson (Soul Festival)

All raffle donations will all go towards the Mayor’s Fund, and community groups in Margate can apply for funding via the website – www.margate.org.uk.