By Scarlet Drayson
The members of Margate Women’s Institute are calling for residents to play their part in protecting the environment by taking their litter home.
The request comes following their most recent litter picking session on Sunday 6 August, where ten members took just two hours to fill 16 bin bags with rubbish in Tivoli Play Area.
The members were shocked by the amount of discarded waste on the steps leading to Sanger Close as well as the area under the railway bridge and were saddened to find sharp shredded drinks cans on the mini football pitch.
Mandy Jarvis, a member of Margate WI’s committee, who organises the sessions, said: “This area is meant to be for children and yet we were dismayed by what we found. So much rubbish and a lot of it could potentially cause injuries. The steps took almost an hour by some of the members who focused on trying to clear the worst of it, there was a lot of broken glass as well as discarded electrical goods, bagged dog mess, and nitrous oxide canisters.”
Determined to do what they can, Margate WI has vowed to return to the area again in October to put more time into Tivoli.
Mandy added: “This has been by far the worst area we have seen, and we have only covered a small percentage of the green spaces in Tivoli. It is sad to see and we ask that people consider playing their part in keeping Margate tidy. Put your rubbish in a bin and if you can’t find one or the bin is full, then please take your litter home. Our town and our children deserve better.”
Margate WI has been volunteering to clear litter from areas in Margate since May 2023.
Inspired by a resolution originally made by the Women’s Institute nearly 70 years ago, the local group held their first organised litter pick in Dane Park on Bank Holiday Monday (8 May 2023).
The original resolution by the National Federation of Women’s Institutes in 1954 called for a campaign to ‘preserve the countryside against desecration by litter’ and led to the formation of the Keep Britain Tidy campaign, now an independent charity, which is so well known today.
After seeing a photo of the original members from that campaign, Margate WI wanted to pay tribute to the good work those ladies started all those years ago.
Residents who are interested in getting involved will be able to join Margate WI for their September litter pick.
They will be teaming up with the Palm Bay and Northdown Community Group to tidy up The Ridings, between Palm Bay and Botany Bay. The event, which is open to all, will start at 2.30pm on Sunday 3 September.
Those interested should bring gloves, sunblock and water, as well as a mug for tea afterwards. Volunteers will be meeting on the green in Palm Bay Avenue, at the edge of The Ridings.
There is more litter in Thanet than the whole of London.I travel there most days.
The litter starts because the roads are unswept and there are weeds everywhere on an industrial scale.It is this gross neglect by the Council that leads to litter throwing and graffiti because the bar is set so low.
I walked past McDonalds the other day and picked up over 20 pieces of McDaonalds litter.The hedgerows of Tesco are full of
litter.Why arent these International companies challenged.
Im the only person who sweeps and picks up litter in my street.My street in the 12 years I have lived here has never seen a council broom.
I would like to see the evidence for “Davo”‘s first statement.
Me too, given one only has to walk down holloway/seven sisters roads to see crud, absolutely everywhere. Lets not even get onto soho, camden, covent garden, oxford st, wardour st, tottenham court rd et al.
Davo, I have reported the Ramsgate Volunteer Litter Pickers for Fly Tipping! They collect litter in TDC White bags and leave them on the corner of Boundary Road, and Chatham Place, so they are attacked by vermin! The contents are then scattered down the pavement/road! How moronic is it to collect litter from place, only to move it to another?
Dumpton: what an astonishingly negative thing to do!
Dumpton is a bit of nasty piece of work going off those other threads where he advocates the use of spraying noxious substances (illegal under laws brought in after acid attacks) in the eyes of would be attackers.
I also work all over the South East and this area is quite easily the most neglected by its Council.
It’s not the councils fault that so many of its residents are feral scum who want to live in ghettos. Thanet council needs to Increase the wardens and fine more of the scum. If it starts costing people money when they throw the McDonald’s and KFC on the street they would soon start using the bin.
Yes, there needs to be more street cleaning, but the same scum will still litter. We need to Make people accountable rather than tidy up their messes as otherwise they will never change and their feral kids will grow up to be just as skanky as the parents.
The council and police are definitely to blame for the graffiti issue that are blighting Thanet. There doesn’t seem to be any action by the police to catch the scum, and the council is failing to clean the ghetto art. Again, if it’s young kids that are doing it, fine the parents, they would soon want to know where little jimmy is and what he’s up to.
I would also like to know what percentage of Thanet’s residents consists of “feral scum who want to live in ghettos”.
The problem with graffiti is that it is encouraged by the art community. They pay millions for some of it.
So who decides which graffiti artist is charged by the police and which graffiti artist isnt charged by the police ?
“So who decides which graffiti artist is charged by the police and which graffiti artist isnt charged by the police ?”
None. Maybe the local council and police realised, like Brighton/Bristol/Manchester councils, that grafitti brings in the arts crowd, who bring int he middle class relocating crowd, who bring in the tourist crowd as the place is now “cool” and thus higher property prices benefitting locals who want to move out…
sadly this just sums thanet up = A DUMP ! now let someone say its not ?
The world appears how you decide to view it. If you view it as a dump, then to you, it will be a dump.
Good thing subjectivity, isn’t objectivity then, isn’t it?
The same way you find your partner hot, but I might find them munting.
M.M.Rees
I admire your view on thanet but seriously believe you have rose tinted glasses !.
Thanet is a dump. Just travel down the thanet way, the nearer you get to thanet the more bigger and regular becomes the weeds by the side or middle of thanet way. The same with the litter.
Thanet is dirty, KKC dont care about thanet and TDC is broke both in money terms and management terms.
Lots of scummy people live around here, just look at all the street drinkers in ramsgate, always pissed and loud. It’s not a good look. Plus the smell of dope that hangs over thanet.
Thanet is a broken society it is a typical tory society. Lots of people have money in thanet, look at the house and rental prices. Look at the amount of top of the range cars. Than look at the amount of homelessness, drunks, and people with mental health problems on the streets. Lack of well paid jobs ( manston is not the answer ).
Thanet has put all its eggs in the arty community and I dont see it improving thanet.
“the nearer you get to thanet the more bigger and regular becomes the weeds by the side or middle of thanet way”
Yeah, its almost like rewilding verges leads to more pollinator species, which as humans, we can never have enough of.
“Lots of people have money in thanet, look at the house and rental prices. Look at the amount of top of the range cars. ”
Most of those top of the range cars are bought on hire purchase/leased.
“Lots of scummy people live around here, just look at all the street drinkers in ramsgate, always pissed and loud. It’s not a good look. Plus the smell of dope that hangs over thanet.”
The same as every town village and city in the uk. Your comment is naught but sneering classism.
“Thanet has put all its eggs in the arty community and I dont see it improving thanet.”
There’s non so blind as the wilfully ignorant.
Cliftonville high street – booming
Margate high street, old town, harbour arm and surrounding areas – booming
Ramsgate marina area and lower half of high street – booming
Tourist influx over summer months adding tens of millions to the local economy, allowing local businesses and people, to thrive.
Dreamland giving the area a nightlife venue that actually puts on artists of a world class standard within their genres with a soundsystem that shows those artists at their very best. I’ve known people travel from as far away as Wigan and Berwick Upon Tweed to attend gigs at Dreamland…its a HUGE draw and “arty”(music is art) as all hell…
Again, your comments say more about you and your wholly negative view of the area that you project onto the area, than they do anything else.
I have hardly ever smelt cannabis, which I assume is the drug being referred to by “Confused”, in the Thanet towns and villages I’ve visited, let alone in Ramsgate, where I live.
I do not agree with the people who write exaggeratedly negative descriptions of Thanet in these comments.
How do you know what it smells like? I’ve no idea myself. ; 0
“I have hardly ever smelt cannabis, which I assume is the drug being referred to by “Confused”, in the Thanet towns and villages I’ve visited, let alone in Ramsgate, where I live.”
MM, I work in Ramsgate and walk the high street and surrounds daily. It stinks of weed wherever you go. Especially around Thompsons Passage and on Elms Ave, there’s a house across from Clarendon gardens that constantly stinks like they’re growing.
You can regularly see lots of younger folk walking round town with a joint in their hand/behind their ears. Loads smoke on the beach and in green spaces/parks over summer too.
I travel around a fair bit and I’d say that Thanet does indeed have rather more of a problem with litter than other areas with similar demographics. But the litter problem is getting worse in many towns and cities as is fly-tipping. In fact it’s hard to separate the two categories as people increasingly discard clothing and other large objects along with drinks cans & crisp packets etc. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a park as rubbish-strewn as Hartsdown Park. It’s still a great place though.
Why doesn’t the park keeper pick it up? (For younger readers, they’re something all parks had up until the ’80s!)
Incidentally, in Peckham (a “deprived” area), the local council still clean the parks.
I am paid to pick up litter and empty litter bins. Cigarettes ends are the worst for being the most widespread, it amazes me that people can still afford to smoke. Then the takeaway rubbish from all the fast food outlets are next along with drink cartons and plastic bottles -tin cans- depending where I’m working condoms and underwear is not uncommon in certain areas. If there were 100 bins in a line then most would be used, some people just clean out their cars and vans of rubbish and fill the bins also dog poo. Complete idiots put uncapped needles and broken glass in the bins sometimes even car batteries and building rubble making the sacks very heavy to lift so I have to be careful what may be sticking out of a plastic sacks when I’m emptying the bins. But you know what I absolutely love my job. Simple no stress never ending. The volunteers do a good job litter picking but most don’t do it every day so of course the amount builds up.
William you are massively appreciated. Yep, there is a real litter problem that isn’t going away but I’m sure I’m not the only person who gets that it would be considerably worse without you & your colleagues.
“so I have to be careful what may be sticking out of a plastic sacks when I’m emptying the bins”
Why? Don’t TDC provide you with the needle stick/cut proof trousers they’ve supplied all workers with since at least 2008 when I worked for them?
Mr M M Rees,I travel all over the South East and London on a daily basis and often walj around the many towns doing my job.I can tell you the litter,weeds and grafitti are 10 times worse and start the minute you enter Thanet.The approach to Ramsgate is appalling.There is an abundance of weeds,grafitti on every sign,post box,telephone junction.Driving down to the Harbour there are weeds and turfs growing in the road and litter all parked in the arches.Great if you want tourists to return. Sorry.
I’ve been saying for ages that Thanet town centres are filthy and disgusting, its about time to get tough on the scum of the earth who plague our streets,put them to work doing the weeding and how about washing the streets and shelters. The new council needs to raise the bar on cleanliness, remove graffiti encourage residents to take more pride in their property and build new modern toilet facilities like they have in other cleaner places. Replace the old Brocken pavements and devise a one way traffic system around our towns, have modern shuttle transport from the towns and villages to the shopping centres, introduce pedestrian precincts , in general move into the modern age, how to pay for this, put up council tax on the new housing estates DFLs can afford it.
I spent a few days on the Isle of Man earlier this year, and as well as keeping the streets spotlessly clean, the council hose down and wash bus shelters!
Its a national problem, why are knives sold with a point? I have used a bread knife for years, and never needed to use a point? Similarly, spray paint, why is this even sold? I assume the vandals who spray paint walls must buy it on the Internet, so why not make it a criminal offence to be in possession of a can?
There are many people who are in no hope jobs, who know they have no future, who are demoralised, and who are poorly dressed and fed, especially the children. Thats why they trash their built environment, they just don’t care any longer, welcome to Tory Britain
Not sure you can blame the Tories for peoples lack of style. Have you seen the state of some of the local lefties?
THANET IS A DUMP-COUNCIL DONT CARE-JUST LIKE GETTING OUR HARD EARNED MONEY FROM COUNCIL TAX-I FULLY AGREE WITH SOME OFF THE COMMENTS ABOUT RAMSGATE AND DRUNKS AND WEED SMOKED IVE SEEN IT EVERY TIME-SO M M REES NEXT TIME U IN RAMSGATE HAVE A LOOK.
hi real world.
no need to shout. Chill your beans, winston.
I have just come back from Ramsgate town centre and it looked fine to me.As usual,my visit was a pleasant experience .The town centre was quite busy.
It must’ve greatly improved from when I last went to Ramsgate town centre two weeks ago. It was a filthy hovel with boarded up shops and druggies in door ways then.
I suggest you visit other towns for comparison: Busy B’s in Ramsgate has been boarded up for at least a decade, yet Herne Bay still has two branches.