Ellington Park Cafe
As we move nearer to spring, some welcome warm weather and the burgeoning of everything in the garden, we thought it might be a good time to give Thanet residents an update of the goings on at the Ellington Park Cafe, the park’s Community Hub.
Our Warm Space and Breakfast on Monday mornings is open until the end of March and remains very popular . It’s staffed by two stalwart volunteers, Dianne and Anne who will welcome you with free hot drinks and toast with loads of different toppings on offer.
Sharon and her volunteer team host a Knit & Natter group on Tuesdays between 11 am and 1 pm. Followed by Age UK from 1 pm to 3 pm who meet to socialise. (Get more information by calling 01843 223881.)
Hannah and her team welcome Wednesday’s gardening group at 11 am until 1 pm where you can pick up – or give – tips and tricks about all things horticultural. Thursday morning at 11am there is a group that meets to socialise. All our groups are open to everyone at no charge and you are very welcoming to join in.
Bee Kind Yoga classes are held on Mondays – Gentle yoga at 1 pm, Chair yoga at 2:15 pm and Hatha yoga at 6 pm. Classes are £7 per session and you can book on the Bee Kind Yoga Ellington FaceBook page or go into the cafe.
We have moderately priced bi-monthly Art exhibitions, so if you are a local artist maybe just starting out and need somewhere to exhibit, do come in and have a chat to see if we can help you.
We are very keen to offer volunteering opportunities at the cafe: these are from working in the cafe (training given of course), doing ad hoc maintenance, office tasks, or even organising events. If you would like to do half a day per week, or more, please contact us at [email protected] or call 07577 852797 ~ we’d love to hear from you.
Westgate United Services Club
The club is fundraising for Community Kindness Thanet and needs help from businesses to sponsor event.
Entertainers donate their time for charity nights but the club is also calling on people to join events, donate a prize for the raffle and share information about Community Kindness Thanet which provides vulnerable families and individuals in Thanet with gifts at Christmas, birthdays, Easter etc.
Upcoming events include a quiz night on March 1 from 7.30pm, non members welcome, maximum team of 8, £3pp, £100 voucher for winning team plus raffle and disco. Then there is an evening of mediumship with Toni on Tuesday, March 11, doors open 7pm, Tickets £7 from the bar.
The club is at 23 St. Mildreds Road , Westgate
Call 01843 831135
Email: [email protected]
National Coastwatch Institution Ramsgate
To date we have received considerable sponsorship towards creating a permanent Lookout Station at Wintrstoke Gardens, Victoria Parade, Ramsgate later this year.
A Presentation to NCI on the 21 February featured a donation of £500 from The Royal Military Lodge Canterbury of The East Kent Province of Freemasons and supported by the Cornwallis East Kent Freemasons Charity. This helps towards our goal of a fully operational Lookout Station.
This donation will make a substantial contribution to the essential provision of telephone and Wi-Fi to our new Lookout Station (the temporary Station will be utilising this equipment in a limited capacity to evaluate the potential usage in the permanent Lookout Station).
Our sincere thanks to The Royal Military Lodge Canterbury for their kind donation.
We will continue to require sponsorship/donations to finally achieve our aim to protect those on, in or near the sea in Ramsgate.
Birchington Man Shed
We are hosting a number of workshops this year. Our first one will be held on the 11th April between 10am -2 pm at shed quarters.
This will be led by publishing company owner Malcolm Channing and focuses on how to write, publish and market your book.
Being held at the Shed, Quex Craft Village, cost s £20, tea and cakes provided.
Ramsgate Town Council
We’re thrilled to announce that we’ll soon be offering fruit trees for a nominal fee of £5 for residents to plant in their front gardens and for community groups to plant in suitable open spaces.
Thanks to Youngs Nurseries, trees will come with a stake, fertiliser and full planting instructions, making it easier for you to nurture them and start producing fruit. A variety of small and medium-sized trees will be available, including apple, cherry, pear, and plum trees.
We have around 75 trees to distribute. Priority will be given to residents, with an offer of one per household. If we find we have spare trees, community groups can apply for multiple trees if they have space.
To apply, you will need to fill out a simple form, link below, and send us a photo of where you plan to plant your tree. A disclaimer will be included to ensure everyone takes responsibility for managing fallen fruit.
Apply for a fruit tree – https://www.ramsgatetown.org/town-council/announce?p=10711331
Why front gardens? We’re offering trees for front gardens for two reasons:
- Having more trees and planting of all kinds at the front of our gardens helps absorb traffic fumes and reduces carbon in the air we breathe.
- Having a fruit tree in your front garden makes it easier for you to share the fruit with neighbours and friends if you wish. (NB There’s no obligation to do this to be part of the scheme, but we hope some residents will!)
Key Dates & Collection Details:
The trees will need to be planted by the second week of April, so we’ll confirm the exact pickup dates and locations soon. Stay tuned!
Don’t miss this fantastic opportunity to grow your own fruit and contribute to a greener community!
If cost is a barrier, donations will be available to ensure everyone has access.
Copperfield Court Care Home
In celebration of World Book Day 2024, Copperfield Court care home, part of Oyster Care Homes, is launching a pre-loved book collection drive to support St George’s Primary School in Broadstairs. The care home is inviting residents, families, team members, and the local community to donate gently used children’s books, which will be delivered to the school on Monday, 3rd March, just in time for World Book Day on 6th March.
World Book Day is a special occasion that celebrates the joy of reading and the importance of storytelling in education. By donating pre-loved books, the community can help inspire young readers, encourage a love of literature, and ensure that more children have access to exciting and engaging stories.
Eve Balcombe, Registered General Manager at Copperfield Court, said:“Books have the power to spark imagination, foster learning, and bring people together across generations.
“This initiative is a wonderful way for our care home and the local community to make a meaningful difference in the lives of young readers. We encourage anyone with books to spare to drop them off at Copperfield Court and help us share the joy of reading.”
Donations can be dropped off at Copperfield Court, Northwood Road, Broadstairs, CT10 2NH before 3rd March 2024. All books will be hand-delivered to St George’s Primary School, supporting their library and ensuring children can continue to enjoy the magic of storytelling.
For more information or to arrange a donation drop-off, please contact Copperfield Court: https://oystercarehomes.co.uk/care-homes/copperfield-court/
Pilgrims Hospices
Hospices across Kent are coming together for the first time ever, to change perceptions of hospice care and highlight the vital importance gifts in wills has in providing this much-needed care.
For many of Kent’s hospices, legacy giving provides a significant proportion of their annual funding,for holistic palliative care services for adults and children in their communities.
Hospices in East Kent, Hospice in the Weald and Heart of Kent Hospice, provide hospice care for a population of almost 2 million people.
The seven hospices are taking part in the ‘This is Hospice Care’ campaign, a national awareness campaign and appeal from Hospice UK.
The campaign includes a powerful national TV campaign based on real life stories from people who have experienced hospice care. It challenges misconceptions about hospices, showing the breadth of care and support they provide beyond clinical, highlighting their place at the heart of local communities.
Modern hospice care is very much centred around living well for the time that’s left, rather than on dying.
Thanks to the generosity of people who have left a gift in their will, Kent hospices are able to continue supporting not only patients, but those close to them too – who also need support after a life-limiting diagnosis.
New data released from Hospice UK suggests legacy donations to hospices in Great Britain fund the equivalent of hospice care for 30,000 people per year.
Kent’s hospices are now calling on the people of Kent to consider leaving a gift in their will to their local hospice, to ensure that the vital care they provide is secured for future generations.
Another misconception about hospices is that only large legacies are welcome – but a gift in a will can be any size.
Gifts can be a specified amount, percentage of the estate, or a donation of something to sell – an possession or property.
The campaign website at www.thisishospicecare.org.uk – helps people find their local adult or children’s hospice, ensuring that the legacy they leave will directly help members of their community.
Many people may have already experienced their local hospice’s care. Or they might have supported in a different way, such as taking part in an event, visiting a shop, buying a raffle ticket, donating a prize, playing their lottery or volunteering.
Sitting at the heart of the community they serve, hospices reach their supportive communities in many ways – not always through patient care.
Last year, many hospices across the country were forced to announce cuts to services and jobs following spiralling costs and a surge in demand for care, which is expected to increase by 25% by 2040. Government intervention before Christmas saw a welcome £100m capital funding boost for both adult and children’s hospices, and an additional £26m grant for children’s hospices, but this short-term injection of funds does not solve the ongoing funding crisis affecting the sector. The campaign is hoping to secure hospice funding for the long-term future.
Hospice supporters can pledge a set amount, a proportion of their estate or specific assets, such as property or shares, which can then be sold to fund care. This flexibility means that any gift of any size will positively impact the care of people at the end of their lives.
Find out more about the campaign and watch the film at www.thisishospicecare.org.uk
Breast Cancer Now – Kerry Banks BEM
Not long after our friend, Julie Mortimer was diagnosed with breast cancer for the second time, I started raising monies for Breakthrough Breast Cancer after I saw an advert in a magazine called “Take a Break” back in 2006.
I threw my energies into organising a Crocus Walk; a sponsored fund-raising walk for what was then Breakthrough Breast Cancer which allowed all of us who knew or were related to Julie, along with many others, to channel ourselves into something positive.
That first Crocus Walk in April 2006 which Julie and my dear father Bob Rubins walked, along with 51 other people raised £3500 for Breakthrough.
After that first walk, it was like a light bulb moment for me as I knew that helping others be breast aware plus engaging in fundraising would enable more people like Julie to live.
I became more involved with the charity, holding more events, cheque collections, talks in our community, lobbying in parliament plus encouraging others to hold events too and supporting them to do so.
Julie sadly lost her fight against Breast cancer on 10 December 2010 aged just 41 years of age.. To honour her memory and to help everyone who knew Julie deal with her passing (even though I had also lost my father suddenly aged just 61) and bolstered by a beautiful letter from Julie (which I carry with me at all times) I threw myself into my fundraising and raising awareness which has become “Julie’s Legacy”.
Breakthrough Breast Cancer merged with Breast Cancer Campaign in 2015 to become Breast Cancer Now and in 2019, merged with Breast Cancer Care to become the UK’s largest research and support charity and I am very honoured to have been a part of seeing this amazing charity grow.
In 2012, I decided I needed to be doing more and raising awareness across the world too and so I signed up with a company called Charity Challenge to trek the Great Wall of China. Every two years since, then has seen me trekking Machu Picchu, cycling Vietnam – Cambodia, Trekking the Sahara desert, Jordanian desert into Petra, the jungles of Sumatra and in 2026, taking on the gruelling Dalai Lama/Himalayan Trek – all to raise vital funds and awareness.
April 5th, 2025 marks the 20th Crocus Walk for Breast Cancer Now and coupled with the fact I hit a huge milestone in my fundraising of £300, 000, I decided to put on a free Legacy party for our community in the evening of the walk to celebrate all we have achieved in the past 19 years.
To sign up to join the 20th Crocus Walk please visit https://bit.ly/crocuswalk20 which includes entry into the Legacy Party into the evening at Sponsors The Landmark Centre High Street Deal from 7pm.
We have also partnered with Boonies & Betteshanger Park to bring a Colour Assault Course Challenge on Sunday 25th May 2025 – to book, please visit https://www.betteshanger-park.co.uk/event/the-colour-run-assault-course-challenge-atbetteshangerpark/
Myself and best friend Jo Allen are incredibly excited to be bringing back the Pink Glitter Ball for Breast Cancer Now on Saturday 30th August 2025 at our hosts The Blazing Donkey at Ham.
This promises to be another spectacular evening with great music with Emma Black and later in the evening, we have an International DJ from our Sponsors The Boombox UK along with a surprise for our guests during the night too.
The cost is just £45 and includes a welcome glass of pink fizz on arrival, 3 course meal and all entertainment.
To book, please call or text our ticket hotline on 07708913976 or email [email protected]
One thing I love about our community is how they have embraced the work we do, individuals have set up their own events as well as volunteering at mine – our community really are the best!
I have met so many incredible people along my fundraising journey, made lifelong friends across the world and sadly lost friends through Breast Cancer however I truly believe the charity’s vision that by 2050, people will always get breast cancer however they will live and live well and for that reason, I have dedicated my life to raising vital funds and awareness.
