Ukrainian Community in Kent – Thanet
On Saturday the Ukrainian community in Thanet joined the “Chain of Thanks” initiative
To show our gratitude and give something back, we organised a litter picking event along the Ramsgate seafront.
We started near the Ramsgate Tunnels and finished at the Western Undercliff Beach.
Now, there is less plastic on our beautiful coast – and a little more kindness in the world
Along the way, many local people greeted us with smiles. It was so pleasant to meet such lovely people and feel this warm connection with our community here in Ramsgate
A huge thank you to everyone who joined and supported! Together we make Ramsgate cleaner, brighter, and better for all.
The Chain of Thanks initiative was a 350-mile beach clean-up stretching from Kent to Plymouth.
RNLI Thanet Fundraising Group
On Saturday 20 September RNLI Thanet Fundraising Group held an Open Day at Ramsgate Lifeboat Station.
The rain was pouring when the Deputy Mayor of Ramsgate Cllr. Pat Moore arrived, alongside MP for East Thanet Polly Billington, to watch local Sea Cadets group, TS Bulldog, perform the raising of the flag ceremony to mark the opening of the event.
Chairperson of the Lifeboat Management Group, Amy Rutland – Gray, used the opportunity to present RNLI Awards to volunteer Treasurer Steve Burton for his twenty years of service and also an Excellence in Volunteering Award to volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer Karen Cox for her work with the 85th Return to Dunkirk by the Association of Dunkirk Little Ships.
Amy said: “I would like to wish a huge congratulations to Steve and Karen for their awards at the open day. Volunteering is something we commit our time to for the love and care of a cause we are passionate about; 20 years of long service and an excellence award are huge moments to celebrate with our RNLI family and I’m so pleased we were able to be together. Well done to both of them.”
Although the day started off slowly due to the weather, as the sun broke through more people turned up to support the event with people queuing to go onboard the Tamar class lifeboat Diamond Jubilee.
Coffee and cakes proved very popular and the local RNLI shop and tombola stall did a roaring trade. On the second floor there was a sale of RNLI memorabilia thanks to a legacy left by past Fundraising Chairperson Sarah Hewes.
The whole day was a celebration of volunteering, not only by the RNLI crew and their families in attendance but of the wider community. A huge thank you to PCSO John LRamsgate and Broadstairs Sea CadetsatBritish Divers Marine Life Rescuecular order, were Kent FiNational Coastwatch Institutioners, Ramsgate SHM Coastguard Margatend Broadstairs Sea Cadets, British Divers Marine Life Rescue, KCC Community Wardens, National Coastwatch Institution, Speed Watch, HM Coastguard Margate, Kent Search and Rescue, Bird Wise, Kentand Essex Fisheries, St John’s Ambulance, Kent Model Boats Display Team, English Heritage, RNLI Face to Face team, Dottie Boards and special guest Stormy Stan.
Music was provided by the Up the Creek Ukelele Band from Whitstable, and our lovely banner promoting the event was donated by Expression Signs in Ramsgate.
The total amount raised on the day was just over £800 which will go towards the running of our Station. Thank you to everyone that attended.
QEQM Hospital League of Friends
The QEQM Hospital has recently benefited from items costing over £14k funded by our charity.
Six new specialist recliner chairs provide patients with comfort whilst they are being cared for in the Emergency Department, improving their mental and clinical wellbeing. The chairs – one of which is shown with staff members Ana-Maria, Itoro, Kelly & Victor -are fully adjustable. This provides patients with postural support and enables them to be re-positioned with ease, thus reducing the risk of falls and pressure damage. The chairs’ design encourages early mobilisation, and this can reduce patient deconditioning.
Also, patients having scans in Maternity are now benefiting from two new obstetric sonography couches, one of which is shown. These fully electrically adjustable couches improve comfort during scans and support patients in the correct positions. They make a difference to staff too, reducing awkward postures whilst carrying out scans
Please follow the QEQM Hospital League of Friends on Facebook or visit www.qeqmfriends.com for up-to-date information about our activities.
Margate Civic Society
Our next meeting, which will incorporate our AGM, will be held on 2 October, commencing 1930 hrs at the Holy Trinity Margate Hall, St Mary’s Avenue,
Margate CT9 3TN. This will be followed by professional, entertaining speaker, Melanie Gibson-Barton with the Topic: “Elizabeth Barton – the Maid of Kent (1506-1534)”
After a short interval and Members’ Notices, the Town Mayor of Margate, Cllr Katie Pope will be talking about the Margate Town Council proposal, followed by an opportunity for any questions.
Guests and lapsed Members are most welcome: £4.50 nominal fee.
As always, refreshments, raffle tickets, and merchandise (including art cards and prints by the late Steve Alexander) will be on sale – so why not come along for an enjoyable evening where a friendly welcome awaits.
Coastal Community Learning
The opening of Thanet’s Coastal Community Learning (CCL) centre on 13th September drew crowds of local residents, proving the vital social and cultural link this not-for-profit facility provides.
Over 100 people from a wide demographic sampled taster sessions in Lino Printing, Painting, Glass fusing, Beginner’s Italian, Fitness, Creative Life Writing, Meditation and Personal Development. The day’s events included demonstrations of stained glass making and a chance to talk to the tutors of courses such as pottery and sewing skills.
“This is so needed for Thanet, well done,” said one participant, Christine Chantril Smith.
Cllr Mike Garner, Mayor of Broadstairs & St Peter’s, chatted to residents queuing to enrol on a wide and ever-growing range of arts and wellbeing courses.
He said: “It was great to come along to the recent taster day at Hilderstone Collage and for us to see so many people keen to take part in one or more of the activities on offer. It’s a testament to the hard work that Tanya and the team have put in to prepare courses that are popular and I wish them every success for the future.“
The local authority’s adult education programme has suffered massive cuts. CCL’s aim is to revive and broaden the provision of courses for 18 to 100 year olds. Courses have already begun, and CCL is continuing to roll out a programme of courses of varying lengths, not only at the Broadstairs centre but in various artists’ studios and venues around Thanet. New art and printing classes have been added just this week.
CCL director Tanya Curran said: “This is the rebirth of adult education, celebrating bringing the community together to promote health and wellbeing.”
You can find out more and register online at www.coastalcommunitylearning.com
Sewing classes with Laura Griffin
Classes are held at The Margate School of Art.
1 day Learn to Use a Sewing Machine Course Saturday 11th October 10am – 4pm. Are you a total beginner and always wanted to learn how to use a machine? This is your moment!
We will cover sewing machine essentials and make a beach bag because everyone in Margate needs a beach bag! Fabric is provided and you are welcome to bring your own machine if you have one or alternatively you can hire one from the studio.
4 week Evening Beginners Sewing Course running on Wednesdays through October 9th, 15th, 22nd and 29th 6pm – 8.30pm. Are you hoping to brush up on your sewing skills? This one’s for you!
We will cover 2 projects: a zipped cushion and a pair of elasticated trousers with pockets. There will be lots of skills covered in this one for new sewers. Again fabric is provided with your purchase and you can choose to rent a machine if needed.
The Friends of St Nicholas at Wade Church
A Christmas craft fair will be held at the church on Saturday, November 8 from 10am to 2pm.
Includes arts, crafts, charity stalls, festive gifts and decorations. Lunches available noon to 2pm plus coffee, tea and cake. Free entry
Westgate and Birchington Inner Wheel
Inner Wheel club of Westgate and Birchington’s Joint Presidents, Kath Porteous and Hazel Hedges chose as their charity ‘Daniel Baird ‘Catastrophic Bleed Control Kits’. We have been raising money and awareness of these life saving items. We wanted to provide publicly available kits to be located by existing defibrillator boxes in both Westgate and Birchington and to both Ursuline College and King Ethelbert’s schools, St Saviour’s and All Saints churches.
The Daniel Baird Foundation Charity was set up after, at just 26 years of age, Daniel was fatally stabbed in the early hours of 8th July 2017 in Birmingham following a night out with friends. There was no first aid or bleeding control kit available. He died shortly after arriving at hospital due to catastrophic bleeding. Had there been a publicly accessible control pack available, Daniel may have survived. Hazel and Kath first learned about these kits after Daniel’s mother spoke at the National Inner Wheel Conference and the club has been raising funds to supply them locally this year.
There are many other ways for a catastrophic bleed to occur, such as from a car accident or a work-related injury. The Foundation believes that having publicly accessible bleeding control packs in all major shopping centres, pubs/clubs and public transport stations, is vital to provide the necessary first aid to reduce blood loss until professional medical help arrives. For the cost of a kit, a life could be saved and their family spared lifelong grief knowing that they could perhaps have survived.
Inner Wheel is a joint club for 2 villages, so will try to match provision for both Westgate and Birchington. Ideally, it would like to provide secure boxed bleed kits for the three beaches, for the main shopping street in both places and another locally available. For Westgate that would be by the library to be available at the traffic lights. For Birchington, the third area would be by Dog Acre at the bottom of the main shopping street, by the Village Centre.
The external publicly available kits housed in a lockable box – similar to the defibrillator boxes – cost over £500, whereas the kits alone cost around £140 each. Inner Wheel has already raised £2,300 by a series of events, including a fish and chip supper, a quiz, a Valentine’s dance and an ‘Ascot Race Night’. In August 2024, we held a Fish and Chip Supper to start the fund raising, (picture attached) In November we held a Quiz evening, entitled ‘Heroines and Villains’ in Church House, Birchington and on Valentine’s Day we held a dance with the live band ‘DNA’ playing at the Services club in Birchington.’ Our final fund-raising effort was a Race Night held in The Westgate Community Hall.
We have crucially had a very generous donation of £1500 from Westgate Town Council, as well as £200 from Prentis Greengrocers, £400 from Westgate and Birchington Rotary Club, prior to it closing, and £500 from Birchington Parish Council.
We would like to publicly thank all our donors and look forward to the installation of these kits.
If you would like to donate towards the cause or are a local business that could help get the kits installed, please contact Hazel Hedges (Immediate Past President of the Westgate and Birchington Inner Wheel club) on 07889 655497.’
Funeral appeal
A fundraiser has been created to help the family of Deal mum Kate Sparks to pay for her funeral following her tragic death.
The mum-of-three was recovered from the sea after struggles with her mental health.
The fundraiser is to help children Callum, 24, Shannon, 23, and Brandon, 20, to pay funeral costs.
It has been set up by Kate’s long-term friend Hayley Shaw.
On the page Hayley says: “Kate, 45, was a devoted single mother to her three children: Brandon, Shannon, and Callum. Tragically, Kate was taken from us far too soon in heartbreaking circumstances.
“In addition to coping with this tremendous loss, Kate’s children now face the daunting challenge of raising funds for their mother’s funeral. Losing a mother at such young, impressionable and delicate ages is already incredibly difficult, and the added pressure of covering funeral costs is overwhelming.
“Unfortunately, Kate did not have a funeral plan or life insurance, which means the financial burden has fallen on her children, who are young adults currently in education and working part-time, zero hours contract jobs.
“With limited resources, they find themselves in a vulnerable situation.”
Find the fundraiser at: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-support-kate-sparks-family-in-their-time-of-need
Oasis Domestic Abuse Service
The Oasis Golf Day at North Foreland Golf Club raised £14,000 for the award-winning domestic abuse charity.
The event, held on Friday 19th September, a sunny day, saw 19 teams of 4 taking to the fairways for a 1pm shotgun start. Teams were made up of North Foreland Golf Club (NFGC) members and Kent-wide businesses, many returning to show their ongoing support for the important work of Oasis and with the event now being a staple in the local golfing calendar.
The day began with coffee and bacon rolls in the Lighthouse Brasserie, sponsored by Wahl (UK) Limited, followed by 18 holes on North Foreland’s beautiful main course with views out to sea. In the evening, guests were treated to a two-course meal followed by a high-spirited charity auction artfully run by Former Club Chairmans Keith Rumblo and Mike Bastow.
Taking first place in the charity tournament was Elite Universal, who attend every year, with Miles and Barr coming close behind in 2nd . Joe Drown hit Nearest the Pin and Mark Saville from TMS Estate Agents, won Nearest the Line. All winners received golfing prizes sponsored by Lanes Printers of Broadstairs and handed out by NFGC Food & Beverages Director Michael Wight.
Oasis’ Head of Income and Engagement, Jo Dawes, said: “Once again, our golf day was a great day in every way. The staff at North Foreland club – and our wonderful committee – make sure the day runs completely smoothly. We were blessed with sunshine and welcomed members, longstanding supporters and new corporate teams to the beautiful course. Collectively, generous sponsors and players helped raise over £14,000 to help people affected by domestic abuse. Huge thanks to everyone and in particular Elgate and Megger Ltd for sponsoring. We look forward to teeing off with you all again on 18th September 2026!”
Martha Trust
The intrepid teams who took part in Monte Carlo Madness in September, in aid of local charity Martha Trust has raised £22,000 in sponsorship.
All the teams made it back in one piece following a 788 mile trip from Folkestone to Monte Carlo in just three days.
The aim of the challenge was to raise funds for Martha Trust, a charity that supports people with profound disabilities across Kent and Sussex. Each year they hold a charity car challenge taking in major cities such as Rome, Florence and Barcelona. This year the destination was Monte Carlo.
Martha have been running their car challenge fundraiser for 16 years. And, in that time they have seen 119 cars and 279 participants join their adventures, raising £398,000 in sponsorship.
Julie Gayler, CEO at Martha Trust and a team member of the ‘The Roulettes’ described Monte Carlo Madness as an amazing adventure: “We’ve had the most fantastic time and met some great people! The trip was amazing, with stopovers in Dijon and Avignon, the camaraderie was great and best of all, we have raised £22,000 in sponsorship when all funds are in.”
The teams made a huge effort this year with their car themes, including Herbie, The Blues Brothers, The Flamingo Boys and The King’s Head’s Austin Powers inspired beetle.
Monte Carlo Madness would not have been possible without the generous support of all the participants and their sponsors, in particular this year’s main sponsors – Superior Healthcare Group, Nick Cunningham Plumbing and Heating Engineers, Sota Solutions, Agilico and their channel crossing sponsor Eurotunnel Le Shuttle.
There is still time to support the Monte Carlo Madness teams, you can donate online at https://bit.ly/MCM25sponsorateam
Martha is excited to announce its 2026 car challenge will be going back to the popular destination of Barcelona in ‘Bonkers in Barcelona’ in September 2026. If you would like to register your interest, please call Carol on 01304 610448 or email [email protected]
Kent Community Foundation
This year, the Ivy and Jane Charitable Trust Fund celebrates its 20th anniversary, a wonderful milestone, during which more than £700,000 in grants have been awarded to support young carers across Kent and Medway.
The Ivy and Jane Charitable Trust Fund is one of over 100 philanthropic funds managed by Kent Community Foundation on behalf of generous individuals, families, and businesses.
Established in 2005, the Ivy and Jane endowment fund was created as a way to improve the lives of young carers across Kent and Medway. The endowment structure allows income generated from the capital to be withdrawn each year, ensuring sustainable, long-term giving.
Since its launch, the Fund has supported 242 individuals and 137 organisations which support young carers, including the charity Imago, which in 2024 reported having supported over 11,000 young carers. Imago delivers a countywide service for children aged 5–18 who provide care for a parent or sibling with illness, disability, mental health issues, or substance misuse. Over the years, Imago has received nearly £250,000 from the Ivy and Jane Charitable Trust Fund to help deliver vital support, respite, and opportunities for young carers.
To contact leading grant maker Kent Community Foundation about funding for charities and community groups with an annual income under £3m, or to discuss setting up a philanthropic fund, please email [email protected] or visit www.kentcf.org.uk
