Margate WI
Members of Margate Women’s Institute have been shrunk down to model railway size as part of Hornby’s 70th anniversary celebrations in the town.
The local group will feature in the new town layout alongside Dreamland, the clock tower, and of course the railway station, while trains travel along the track. On Saturday 17 August 2024, members attended the railway station to get 3D scanned.
While the group may seem larger than life, with a big campaigning voice and part of a huge national movement, for the townscape they will each be approximately 2-3cms tall. But when members heard that Hornby was appealing for people to appear in the crowd of the new layout, the group was excited to get involved, and pleased to be able to take part.
Margate WI President Hilary Askew said: “Next year our group celebrates its tenth anniversary and over the years, our members have really got involved in community events and campaigns in Margate. The WI has been in existence nationally for much longer, so we wanted to represent that in the layout.
“For our big Hornby adventure, members were scanned with items that help represent our group, including our flags and banners, the litter-picking equipment, and of course one of the handmade quilts which we regularly sew and donate to the Special Care Baby Unit at the QEQM hospital.
“We are grateful to Modelu, who got behind our ideas for the models and scanned us all in, and we are super excited to see mini-Margate WI be part of the crowd on Hornby’s new town layout. Happy birthday Hornby!”
We meet at 7.30pm on the second Thursday of every month at Selina Hotel.
Follow us at @MargateWI on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
Vindicatrix Standard “Laid-Up”
At our final AGM in April 2024 it was agreed that due to a great reduction in numbers due mainly to age and ill-health of many members that we should fold after 30 years of operating, it’s a sad day but one that is coming to many associations of our generation.
Our Standard has attended numerous parades all over the country to represent not only our Merchant Navy Training Ship but the Merchant Navy itself, we have been welcomed by all in the areas from local Mayors, MPs and Armed Forces Associations including the local Royal British Legion and we thank you all. We will however still attend parades locally as Merchant Navy veterans and lay our wreaths so you will still see the M.N. around.
Our Standard was Dedicated at the Ramsgate Sailor’s Church in 2003 and members agreed that it should be “Laid-Up” there so correspondence was started between Sarah Neden, a Trustee of the Church, to have this accepted. It was agreed that our “Laying-Up” should be within the “Sea Sunday” service at the Church on August 18th; 2024 and we were pleased to attend.
Our Standard, along with others held by the Trustees, will be shown at appropriate services which is good to know. We would like to thank Sarah Neden and ALL involved with this service and for mentioning the wartime efforts of our Merchant Navy and for reciting the poem “HEROES” which was written by a Vindicatrix trainee David Partridge and is recited at M.N. services all over the world.
To you all – we thank you and finally may I request that our Merchant Navy be remembered on September 3rd; which is National Merchant Navy Day with parades held all over the country to remember. Thank you all.
Phil Hughes (Former Secretary of the Ind; Vindicatrix of East Kent Association – M.N.)
Westgate and Birchington Inner Wheel
We don’t usually have a formal meeting in August as many people are away, but Joint President Hazel hosted a ‘fish & chips’ supper in her garden, followed by homemade desserts and a glass of wine or beer or soft drinks. We also held a fantastic raffle and altogether raised about £200. Guests enjoyed a delicious meal and a large selection of desserts and cheese and biscuits, and despite the wind blowing quite strongly and the sun hiding from us, we were all able to take full advantage of the gazebos and most of us didn’t feel cold! I was so busy I forgot to take any pictures! Thank you to Westgate Fish Bar for their delicious fish & chips.
We are raising money for our charity, ’Bleed Control Kits’.
‘The Daniel Baird Foundation Bleed Control Kit’ was developed by West Midlands Ambulance Service, leading consultants from the Trauma Network and the Daniel Baird Foundation to provide a kit of medical equipment that can be easily used by the public but can also control a catastrophic bleed. The kits are widely used across the country and have been used on several occasions to save a patient’s life. These are to be placed in or near the ‘Defib’ boxes in Westgate & Birchington to control catastrophic bleeding. See picture of bleed kit.
Our next meeting will be on Thursday September 19th when we hope to have a speaker giving a demonstration on how to use Defibrillators and ‘Bleed Kits’.
Inner Wheel is one of the largest international women’s voluntary service organizations in the world and we value friendship, service, and international understanding. With clubs in over 104 countries and more than 108,000 members, it was founded in Manchester 100 years ago on 10th January 1924, and in the UK alone has raised over £3.5 million in the last 5 years, nationwide.
If you are interested to know more about our club, please contact Membership Officer Margaret on 01843 840878. We would love to meet you.
East Kent Mencap
East Kent Mencap’s Fashion Show and Pre-Loved Clothes Sale raised over £1000 to support people with a learning disability to lead happy and fulfilling lives.
On Tuesday 20th August over 100 people came to Holy Trinity Church in Margate, to watch the Ramsgate Hub drama group perform a fabulous Fashion Show. With outfits and music choreographed to amazing dancing routines, the audience was up on their feet as they enjoyed the mixed media interactive show.
The Mayor of Margate, Councillor Jack Packman, and the Mayoress of Margate, Mrs Karen Brinkman, attended the event.
Mayor of Margate, Councillor Jack Packman, said, “It is great to see the underrepresentation of our special educational needs and disability groups are being given the opportunity to express themselves in a supportive environment. East Kent Mencap volunteers and employees continue to champion people with a learning disability. I am really pleased that it happens across Thanet, but particularly the brilliant East Kent Mencap Hub in Margate, that continues to advocate for people with a learning disability.”
Supporters of East Kent Mencap, together with family and friends of the Fashion Show performers attended the event. Karen Goldfinch is a member of the East Kent Mencap Ramsgate Hub drama group and her sister, Claire Goldfinch watched the show together with Karen’s mother, Linda.
Claire shared, “The show took my breath away; it was amazing. I very much admire that everyone had the courage to perform. There was so much energy and joy during the show; it was unique, and you would never find that anywhere else. There was something for everyone, I was very proud of my sister.”
Karen said, “I have been practicing for months and all the hard work has paid off. I really enjoyed it.”
Following the Fashion Show there was a Pre-loved Clothes Sale which raised over £1000, together with the Fashion Show ticket sales. This money will go towards much-needed resources and equipment for people with a learning disability at the East Kent Mencap Ramsgate Hub. This was all made possible by the generous donations of clothes from the Thanet community and 20 volunteers from Kent County Council and Network Rail who generously gave their time to help on the day to support the event.
Jane Brooke, Fundraising Manager East Kent Mencap, said: “Thank you to everyone who supported the Fashion Show and Pre-loved Clothes Sale. Holy Trinity Church was filled with happiness and joy, and it raised much needed funds to continue East Kent Mencap’s important work. We are very grateful to all our amazing volunteers, dedicated employees, and the stars of the Fashion show, the people who use our services, who put in so much effort to create an exceptional show.”
If you would like to find out more about East Kent Mencap, or if you or someone you know has a learning disability, please visit www.eastkentmencap.co.uk.
QEQM Hospital League of Friends
The latest items we have agreed to fund for our local Hospital are for Rainbow Children’s Ward at a cost of £2,708:
– 10 overbed tables that will help patients and their parents/carers to play together with board games or Lego and make crafts as well as continue with their school work. This will improve the patient experience and distract the children by enabling them to play or work, and
– 12 stackable chairs for the Ward’s waiting room, updating this area and make it more colourful, relaxing and child-friendly.
To finance items like these we have to raise funds and are excited to announce a special event in association with the Sarah Thorne Theatre in Broadstairs in aid of our charity – a performance of the Theatre’s annual traditional pantomime Aladdin on Saturday 28th December at 6.30 p.m.
Seating is unreserved. Tickets are £20 each and can only be obtained from us (not the Theatre’s usual booking service) by emailing [email protected] or ringing our 24-hour answerphone at (01843) 234507 leaving your contact details. Please book early to avoid disappointment.
More information about our charity is available on our Facebook page and our website www.qeqmfriends.com
Birchington Heritage Trust
It’s that time of year again when we host an extra-special, free event, to celebrate Heritage Open Days.
We’re thrilled to showcase our rarely seen historic maps and related items on this year’s theme of “Transport and Connections”. Our new 2025 calendar and other publications will also be available.
The event will be at Church House, Kent Gardens, Birchington on SUNDAY 8 SEPTEMBER 2024 between 2pm and 5pm. Car parking available.
EVERYONE IS WELCOME to join us for this special event.
Interested in supporting the Trust? Come and talk to our volunteer team on the day to find out more about membership and volunteering opportunities.
Birchington Heritage Trust, The Burley Gallery, Birchington Library
www.birchingtonheritage.org.uk Facebook: @birchingtonheritage
Making Ellie Count
A second Making Ellie Count event will be held on September 8 at the Pavilion in Broadstairs, from noon until 5pm.
The fundraiser is in memory of Ellie Lunn who passed away from Sepsis in 2015 aged just 11 months old..
Debbie Day, from Academy FM Thanet, is organising the event again for Caremark.
A spokesperson for Caremark said: “It is not just about raising money for the charity Sepsis, it is about making people aware of the symptoms, and how easily they can be masked.”
If you believe you or someone else has Sepsis, then make sure a test is carried out.
Making Ellie Count 2 will be a free event open to the public. The Pavilion and all the bands are giving their time for free and the Copyshop has printed all the flyers at no cost the the organisers.
Bands on the day will be SuperMicks, Breed, DNA, Bamboozle and Lights Out. Comperes will be Debbie and Academy FM colleague Chris West.
Ellie also has a UK Sepsis just giving page. If you would like to donate please visit https://www.justgiving.com/page/making-ellie-count
Margate Mayor & Mayoress Raffle for ‘The Margate Dress’
The Mayor of Margate, Cllr Jack Packman and Mayoress, Mrs Karen Brinkman, are excited to announce a special raffle for ‘The Margate Dress’, a designer gown by the internationally acclaimed Veni Infantino, acquired by local business Novo Bridal.
This exquisite dress, worn once by the Mayoress at the prestigious Dreamland Heritage Trust Gala Dinner, represents not only a piece of Margate’s history but also an opportunity to support local charities and organisations.
‘The Margate Dress’ was specially selected for this occasion by Novo Bridal, showcasing their commitment to our community and highlighting the town’s place in the fashion world. Veni Infantino, known for her award-winning designs, graciously contributed this stunning gown, which was worn only once at one of Margate’s most anticipated social events of the year.
‘The Margate Dress’ will be going on tour and will be displayed in the windows of local businesses across Margate, starting with Novo Bridal. Additionally, it will be showcased at the sold out Mayoress Cream Tea event in September, plus other Mayoral events, offering the public multiple opportunities to view the piece before the raffle concludes.
Proceeds from the raffle will directly support the Mayor’s Charity Fund, which aids various charities and organisations across the Margate wards. This initiative is a wonderful way to celebrate our town’s heritage while giving back to the community.
“This is more than just a dress,” said Karen. “It’s a symbol of Margate’s bright future and the incredible community spirit that we are so proud of. Whether the winner chooses to wear it, donate it, or sell it, they’ll be holding a piece of our shared story and contributing to a cause that benefits so many.”
The raffle will culminate in a live draw at the Valentine’s Ball on 15th February 2025, where the winner will be announced. Tickets are available now for £5, offering a chance to own a beautiful designer dress while making a meaningful impact on the lives of many in Margate. Link https://rb.gy/64mw4c
The Mayor’s Charity Fund supports a range of local charities and organisations that work tirelessly to improve the lives of individuals across the Margate wards. Through various fundraising events and initiatives, the fund aims to make a positive impact on the community.
Novo Bridal is a beloved local business in Margate, known for its exquisite range of bridal and evening wear. Their commitment to supporting the community is evident through their participation in events like the ‘Year of Collaborating’ campaign and their support of local charities.
Murder at the Walpole Bay book launch
It was a great show on Saturday 17 August, at the Walpole Bay Hotel, with marvellous performances from actors Shelagh Scarborough, Michelle Collin, and Jim Arnold, together with musicians, Ali Boot and Chas Savin.
The evening event for the launch of international author Richard Savin’s latest novel, ‘Murder at the Walpole Bay Hotel.’ This is the second book in what will be a five-book series, set in the early years of the hotel, starting with its opening in 1914.
The books follow the exploits of heroine protagonists, Dorothy and Effie as they solve murders and mysteries in Margate, thereby saving the reputation of the somewhat incompetent Inspector ‘Artful’ Archie Page and his assistant, Detective Constable Godley.
The stories weave their way through the back streets of historic Margate, in and out of the pubs and hotels that existed in the town, as well as the great locations of the Winter Gardens, the old town police station, and the mansion of North Down House. In these places we find characters like the irascible wheeler dealer Ratty Bumstead, who, though looking like a tramp, is the richest man in Kent. And lurking in the background we find the enigmatic Seymour Trevelyan, MI5 spymaster, and his assistant, Harry Donovan.
While mayhem invades Margate, Dorothy and Effie still manage to carry on with their somewhat racy lifestyle. With a taste for the latest sports car of the day, they never miss out on cocktails, lunch with a good bottle of wine, dinner with another bottle, and definitely a glass of something more combustible for a nightcap. With their corsets tightened to hold in all that indulgence, these are ladies to be reckoned with. No namby-pambies here, but clever amateur sleuths and good time girls tearing around the county chasing the bad guys in Dorothy’s sporty motor; they are Miss Marple with attitude, Sister Boniface on steroids.
Richard Savin is the author of 25 books, including the Amazon #1 best seller, Turn Left at Istanbul, and internationally acclaimed, The Girl in the Baker’s Van. His major novel based on an alternative view of WW2 , A Right to Bear Arms, is currently under consideration in Hollywood for a ten part mini-series.
Buy the new book at: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0DBF37N6F?
Rolling Stones book release
Isle author and music historian Peter Checksfield has released a new book reviewing The Rolling Stones and the Brian Jones years from 1962 to 1969.
Peter says: “There are countless books on The Rolling Stones – some essential, many mediocre, and a few complete garbage. The one thing the vast majority of these books have in common though, is that they quickly dismiss the Brian Jones era as musically patchy at best, always one step behind The Beatles, and with the Stones’ best years ahead of them.
“Yet, the first 5 years or so of their incredible 60-odd year career produced not only much of their greatest music – but arguably the most essential back catalogue of any act.
“This book reviews every song recorded during this period in detail – from their first demo in 1962, to the early sessions for ‘Let It Bleed’ in 1969, via live recordings, songs they gave away, Radio & TV broadcasts, and much, much more!”
Peter, who lives in Birchington with partner Heather Carter, previously took a look at the Stones and cover versions of their songs with the publication of Undercover: 500 Rolling Stones Cover Versions That You Must Hear! In 2022.
Find the new book here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0DD7JWHZ1
Worldwide Wander 2024
Friday 27th September, 5pm
Come with a question, join my Walkshop, discover your neighbourhood in a different way by engaging your senses and … you can find answers in a very creative way.
An epic hybrid 24 hour relay of free facilitated walkshops (walking workshops) on city streets across the globe – bringing communities together by helping people re-think their future. Let’s find our way. Together.
There are some big hairy challenges out there, huh? The climate crisis. Global conflict. polarisation and loneliness. Not to mention personal ones – finding a job, mental health, relationships, healing a grief.
We’re all wondering how to do things differently. What if the inspiration we need is all around us, all the time? That’s why non-profit Street Wisdom created an annual celebration of their work – The World Wide Wander – together with the support of our partners at the global creative community Creative Mornings and Action for Happiness, an international charity dedicated to creating a happier and kinder world.
We’re not going to resolve our questions just sitting and thinking. Let’s get up, get out and get answers.
WHEN? Friday 27th September 2024, all day, in-person or online – see: The World Wide Wander
WHERE? 4 online Walkshops hosted by the Street Wisdom team. 60 volunteer facilitated in-person Walkshops at locations across the globe. Locations include Philadelphia, New York, Seoul, Montreal, Nairobi, Toronto, London, Lima, Berlin, Sydney, Athens, Glasgow, Stockholm, Barcelona, Austin, Goa, Walla Walla …. and Ramsgate, East Kent
WHAT IS A WALKSHOP? A Walkshop is a guided walking workshop that helps you find your way through life’s twist and turns, led by a Street Wisdom facilitator who coaches you through the wonder-sparking practice.
TUNE-UP. A series of short exercises that are designed to “tune-up” your senses so you can tune in to the world around you.
QUEST. Here you choose a question you would like some fresh thinking on and then set off in search of insights, ideas and answers, looking for signs and signals from the streets or space you explore.
SHARE. Everyone gathers back together again and shares insights or listens to others. This is an important part of the process – as one person’s story can resonate with others, providing a sense of togetherness and broadening perspective.
Street Wisdom is a free creative walking practice founded by innovator in business, the arts and social change David Pearl, that helps you find your way through life’s twists and turns.
Sylvia Tillmann is a holistic practitioner who empowers her clients to treat and help themselves by releasing tension, aches, pains, anxiety, anger and so much more from the body.
Because what comes out of your body doesn’t make you ill. What stays in there does.
For more info check her website www.tremendousTRE.co.uk and her guest blog for Street Wisdom: https://www.streetwisdom.org/blog-list/movement-heals-all-wounds
