The Rotary Club of Thanet Cinderella Fund
The fund has provided £2,650 in support of Pilgrims Hospices, Millmead Children’s Centre, Hi Kent and King Ethelbert School.
The Rotary Club of Thanet are long term supporters of Pilgrims Hospices (80% of the Hospices’ funding comes from the local community) and of Millmead Children’s Centre, recently selected as one of two Family Hub services across Kent. The club are pleased, therefore, to be able to donate a further £1,000 each.
£250 is donated to Hi Kent, the county’s long-established local charity helping the one in five people living with hearing loss. The funding will help them provide free services every week in the Thanet area.
The Rotary Club of Thanet hopes to work closely with schools in responding to the many challenges which they face. Over the last 18 months, in partnership with Margate Bookshop, they have been working with secondary schools in Thanet to provide over £5,000 worth of books for school libraries as part of the club’s Literacy Matters! project.
A further £400 has now been given to King Ethelbert school to help with a planned trip to London. Aron Harris who is organising the trip is delighted: “This donation makes a huge difference to the affordability of the trip, and means we can offer a wonderful cultural experience to students from all backgrounds. They’ll be going to the Tate Modern in the morning for some art activities, and then The Globe Theatre for Romeo and Juliet in the afternoon. If we can squeeze in a walk to St Pauls, then we’ll do that too. It’ll be a huge dose of cultural capital.”
It sounds like a trip we might all enjoy!
The donations come from Rotary’s Cinderella fund which is used for the benefit of people in Thanet. Fundraising now moves to Queen’s Road Baptist Church in Broadstairs on 28 April where The Rotary Club of Thanet is providing their 13th annual concert featuring the Sandwich Concert Band. We can expect to hear more about this in the coming weeks.
On receipt of the cheque Karen Kenward, from Pilgrims Hospices, said: “Thank you to the Rotary Club of Thanet for your wonderful donation received at the hospice today in support of our charity. This donation will help support our services for the next person that’s needs us.”
Leadbeatter’s free day out
For the third year running, Leadbeatter’s Labour Ltd, local scaffolding company, has decided to give something back to the community. The firm has booked a coach and will be offering a free day trip, including fish & chips, on 17th April, to 50 older Thanet residents. This year we will be going to Faversham and Whitstable.
So whether you need cheering up, feel isolated or fancy a day out to lift your spirits, get in touch. There will be 6 pickup points around Thanet and you must be able to get on and off the coach unaided.
Please email [email protected] to go into the draw and let us know whether it’s for an individual or a pair of tickets. We look forward to hearing from you.
Westgate & Birchington Inner Wheel
Although we have a member who has the role of ‘Membership Officer’, we always regard the pleasant task of bringing in new members, as the job of everybody in our club. This has been well demonstrated recently.
At the start of the Inner Wheel year in July, we were delighted to induct Beverley, who was introduced by her friend, Lily. We have a break in August and don’t meet formally although we generally have a get-together at some point in the summer. In September, Pauline was welcomed to the club, also introduced by her friend and neighbour, Lynda.
Val joined us in December. She saw an article about our club in the Thanet Ad mag, contacted our Membership Officer and we were delighted to meet her. She was inducted at our Christmas Dinner.
At our February meeting we inducted 2 more new members, both encouraged to join us by friends. Marion’s friend, Kath, was instrumental in her choosing to join us and new member, Beverley, introduced her friend and neighbour, Elaine.
We are looking forward to 2 more ladies joining us next month, bringing the total of new members to 7. It seems fitting in Inner Wheel’s centenary year, that more members are coming forward to join us.
Our club has been in existence for 40 years, and we celebrated our 40th anniversary in October. We are proud to have a founder member who is still active in our club, Iris Harvey, (so active in fact, that 2 years ago she was President again!) and we also have 2 honorary founder members, Liz Hobcraft and Chris Wilkinson, who both join in with our activities when they are able. All 3 cut our celebration cake at our 40th Anniversary Lunch, which was well attended by 60 people, some representing local groups we have helped in the past.
At our February meeting, Kath and Hazel were elected Joint Presidents for 2024 to 2025. Our next meeting will be on 21st March, when we shall celebrate Easter with an Easter bonnet parade. We like to alternate meetings with speakers, or concerned with charity fundraising, with meetings which are just fun. We shall be holding a fundraiser event at the United Services Club in Birchington on Friday 19th April with DNA band playing 60s/70s/80’s music. More information later. Save the date!
We meet at St Augustine’s in Westgate on the 3rd Thursday of each month for a meal. Our objects are friendship, personal service and international understanding. To find out more about us, please contact Margaret on 01843 840878
Birchington Heritage Trust
Rarely seen items from the Trust’s collection are now on display at the Birchington Heritage Trust’s museum. These represent the work of the St John’s Ambulance Brigade and provide a fascinating glimpse into the sort of equipment, materials and medicines they used around 60 years ago.
The items, along with many other parts of the Trust’s collection, can be seen at the museum, in the David Burley Gallery at Birchington Library, during normal library hours.
On 29 February, the Trust will welcome Victoria Hosegood from the Heritage Conservation Team at Kent County Council to introduce the Thanet Archaeological Mapping Project with an illustrated talk.
This exciting and important project, begun last year, will pull together the huge amount of information about archaeological sites and monuments in Thanet to produce a map and compendium of current research and information. This will extend our understanding of the archaeological character of the whole of Thanet.
The talk will take place at The Centre, Alpha Road, Birchington CT7 9EG on Thursday 29 February. Doors open 7pm for a 7.30pm start. All welcome (Members free, guests are invited to make a donation to the Trust).
For more information about our collections, archives and publications, our volunteers are on hand to welcome visitors to the museum between 0930 and 1230 Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
Isle of Thanet Photographic Society
Club members who enter competitions can be awarded certificates ranging from Bronze to Platinum, depending upon scores they have received. At a recent meeting Silver Awards were presented to David Silk, Laura Drury, Maria Gilbert and Paul Norris who had each achieved 18 points for 10 images entered into club competitions. They can now compete for the Gold Award.
We were also delighted to learn that Laura Drury achieved 3rd place in the “Square Crop” category of the acclaimed International Garden Photographer of the Year” competition with an image called “Meadow Sunset”. An outstanding achievement, against competitors from many countries.
The club’s second print competition was judged by Peter Barnett, Writer and Theatre Director based at McGillan and Woodell in Ramsgate. As someone new to judging photographic competitions, Peter brought a different approach to our usual judges with some interesting comments on the 60 prints submitted, which covered a wide variety of subjects.
Overall winner, with the rather ethereal image called “The Race”,* was Mary Venables. Members have much to look forward to. On 22 February we will welcome our guest speaker Thomas Peck, on the subject of “What is a Portrait”. Then at the end of the month one of our long-standing members, Ken Butcher, is giving a talk about the Canadian Rockies.
New members always welcome to join. The subscription is £17.50 from now until the AGM in June.
Charity Gala in support of Red Nose Day
Join Chapel House Estate for a spectacular evening of fundraising & fun, where laughter meets generosity. Get ready to laugh, dance, and make a difference for a great cause. The Charity Gala will feature live music, a delicious 3-course meal prepared by head chef Kieran Golding and his team, plus other exciting fundraisers.
So put on your finest attire and get ready for a night filled with entertainment and goodwill.
You’ll contribute to a brighter future for vulnerable children across the globe.
Your presence will help provide vital resources, education, and healthcare to those who need it most. Together, let’s make a lasting impact and spread joy.
Date Friday, March 15
Doors from 18:00 / Seated for dinner at 19:00
Carriages at Midnight
Dress Code Black Tie / Ball Gowns
Tickets £100 per person (includes 3 course meal + welcome drink)
Group Discount purchase 10 tickets at £900
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/charity-gala-in-aid-of-red-nose-day-tickets-796085612497
All profit from ticket sales and fundraising activities on the night will be donated to Comic Relief.
Martha Trust
The Superior Healthcare Group is thrilled to announce its continued partnership with Martha Trust as their Headline Events Sponsor for 2024.
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 physical and multiple learning disabilities (PMLD).
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 2024,” said Stewart Thorp, CEO of The Superior Healthcare Group. “As a provider that is focused upon providing care and support for people who have complex health needs to live in their own homes as well as working with local care homes to ensure that they have a sufficient number of skilled carers and nurses on duty to care for their residents, 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, they will support Martha Trust’s various events and fundraising activities throughout the year, including their German Music Night, Golf Days, Car Challenge – ‘Rome or Bust’, and Martha’s Music on the Farm.
In addition, The Superior Healthcare Group 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 continued our Partnership with The Superior Healthcare Group as our Headline Events Sponsor for 2024,” 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.”
The Superior Healthcare Group is excited about the partnership with Martha Trust and is looking forward to working with Martha Trust to make a positive difference in the lives of those with profound disabilities. This collaboration represents an opportunity for both organisations to leverage their strengths and resources, creating a brighter future for those who require their services.
