Pie Factory Music – Open Arms
A moving new sound piece launched in Thanet this week, giving voice to the extraordinary journeys of young unaccompanied asylum seekers and refugees now rebuilding their lives in Kent.
Created in collaboration with Ramsgate-based youth charity Pie Factory Music, the audio project brings together a group of 13–21-year-olds who have travelled across the world entirely alone in search of safety. Released to mark Refugee Week (15th – 21st June 2026), the sound piece blends music, rhythms, and raw spoken-word reflections to explore what ‘courage’ means from the unique perspective of these young people.
Working over four sessions at Ramsgate Youth Centre alongside local artist Steph Dickinson and Project Lead Moa Norrsell Fahlander, the participants shared stories, learning how to say the word ‘courage’ in different languages, singing, creating melodies, and reflecting on how courage shows up in our own lives. When asked whether they had courage, every young person answered with a definitive “yes”. The sound piece is a demonstration of this.
One young participant, who journeyed from East Africa, shared: “For me, I have courage, because I came all the way from Somalia, only walking, even through the water…”
Another young person reflected on the bravery it takes to rebuild a life in Kent: “When you come from a different country, and you meet new people, you feel very proud of yourself.”
Despite the challenges they have overcome, the atmosphere in the workshops was filled with hope, humour, and joy. The young people shaped the project, frequently describing the regular Open Arms group sessions – Pie’s programme for young people from asylum seeking and refugee backgrounds – as a ‘Friend Festival’ and a ‘Party’.
Moa Norrsell Fahlander, Open Arms Project Lead, says: “We are incredibly proud of all our Open Arms young people. This piece is a pure celebration of their voices, their stories, and their immense courage. Every week, despite everything they have been through, they continue to show up with hope, kindness, and incredible care for one another. They have courage, and they have heart.”
The launch of the sound piece comes at a momentous time for Pie Factory Music, following their recent national victory at the SMK National Young Campaigner Awards for saving the Ramsgate Youth Centre from auction – ensuring safe spaces remain open for projects like Open Arms and every young person in Thanet.
The complete sound piece is now available to listen on all streaming platforms from Wednesday 24th June. Help shine a spotlight on the voices of Kent’s young diverse community, by sharing the track.
Reading Street Village Open Gardens
Saturday 4th July, 10am – 4pm, CT10 3AZ
Tickets £5.00 and accompanied children free
Visit some beautiful gardens and Taddy’s Allotments
Plants and local produce on sale. Refreshments including fabulous cakes and lunches, eat in or take away.
Seaside CEO series
A new event in the Seaside CEO series is now open for bookings with guest entrepreneur, Richard Sutcliffe, founder of one of the UK’s fastest growing apparel brands, Passenger, that started with a small production run of beanies and t-shirts and now has an annual revenue of more than £100 million.
Seaside CEO events host & organiser, Emma Jones, said: “I’m delighted Richard has agreed to be our guest at an upcoming event. He has been on an incredible journey with Passenger that has seen him raise £15m in funding, build sales online and off, break into global markets, and build a world class team. I will be asking him, in a fireside chat format, how he has achieved this and his advice for others.”
The event will take place on Thursday 29th October, 5pm to 7pm, at the Royal Temple Yacht Club, Ramsgate. It is part of a monthly series of Seaside CEO events on the final Thursday of each month. Tickets are £5 per person and available at: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/an-evening-with-richard-sutcliffe-founder-of-passenger-tickets-1989860417073?aff=oddtdtcreator
Serenaders
On Saturday 4th July, we are once again holding our Annual Charity Concert at St. Philips Church, Summerfield Road, Palm Bay Cliftonville, commencing at 7.30pm. Tickets are once again held at a very reasonable price of £5.
Money raised will benefit the Kent, Surrey and Sussex Air Ambulance. A cash collection for this charity will be held during the concert.
For tickets please contact our Musical Director Janice Regan, on 01843 220247
We are recruiting Sopranos, Altos and Seconds to become members of the choir for our forthcoming concerts in the Autumn.
Please contact Janice Regan for more details.
SEK Group
Schools, teachers, parents and students across the region are being encouraged to showcase their achievements and secure their place in two exciting initiatives celebrating environmental action and STEM innovation.
Organised by SEK Schools, the Green School Awards and The Big STEM Challenge recognise the creativity, dedication and innovation of young people while providing opportunities to win awards, showcase projects and compete for cash prizes.
With the deadline for entries approaching on 31 July 2026, organisers are encouraging schools, home educated learners and individual students not to miss the opportunity to take part.
The Green School Awards recognise schools and pupils who are taking positive action to protect and improve the environment.
Whether it is planting trees, creating wildlife habitats, introducing recycling initiatives, reducing energy use, organising litter picks or raising awareness within the wider community, the awards celebrate projects that demonstrate commitment, creativity and environmental responsibility.
Projects do not need to be large scale to be considered. Organisers are keen to hear about initiatives of all sizes that are helping create a more sustainable future.
Schools, pupils and home educated learners can enter by sharing:
- What they undertook
- How they carried out the project
- What they learned
Entries can include written submissions, photographs or short videos.
At the same time, entries are open for The Big STEM Challenge, a competition designed to uncover the next generation of scientists, engineers, inventors and problem solvers.
Open to both schools and individual students, the challenge welcomes projects covering all areas of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.
Whether participants have built a robot, designed an app, carried out scientific investigations, developed an engineering solution or created an entirely original invention, organisers want to hear about it.
Primary finalists will be invited to showcase their work at a Science Fair hosted at Discovery Park, where they will compete for the title of Primary Big STEM Champion 2026 and a cash prize.
Secondary and 16+ finalists will present their projects to a panel of experts during a Dragon’s Den style event at Discovery Park, competing for the title of Secondary/16+ Big STEM Challenge Champion 2026, along with cash prizes.
The deadline for all Green School Award nominations and Big STEM Challenge entries is 31 July 2026.
Schools, teachers, parents and students are encouraged to take this opportunity to celebrate their achievements, share their stories and inspire others through their success.
For full details and entry information, visit: https://sekgroup.org.uk/support/sek-schools/
Stagecoach Thanet
Football fans travelling across Thanet to watch this summer’s World Cup fixtures are being encouraged to use the Thanet Loop bus service, which provides connections between Margate, Broadstairs and Ramsgate.
Margate
Fans can use the Thanet Loop to reach venues including The Drill Shed and Where Else? for World Cup screenings.
Broadstairs
The route serves key viewing locations such as Cramptons Sports Bar, Bradstow Mill and The Canterbury Bell.
Ramsgate
Supporters can travel via the Thanet Loop to The Waterfront and The Bedford Inn, with services connecting across all three towns.
Stagecoach is also highlighting its Group EveningRider ticket for customers travelling together. Valid after 6pm, the ticket allows up to five people unlimited evening travel for £9.40, offering an alternative to travelling by car or taxi.
Customers can use the Stagecoach Bus app to plan journeys and purchase tickets.
Air Ambulance Charity Kent, Surrey, Sussex (KSS)
The Air Ambulance Charity Kent, Surrey, Sussex (KSS) has been given £12,500 by a metal detectorist group.
The Invicta Seekers Metal Detecting Group raised the money through donations, raffles and other fundraising events.
Headquartered in Ashford, where it meets monthly, the detectorists’ group was founded in 2011 with an emphasis on charitable giving and to boost members’ physical and mental health.
The air ambulance attends more than 3,000 incidents every year and can reach any destination in its three-county area within half an hour.
It works every hour of every day of the year and since it took off 35 years ago has attended almost 50,000 incidents.
Without receiving money from central government it relies on donations and requires well over £20m a year to run – which is £57,000 per day or nearly £5,000 per mission.
Kevin Gilbert from Invicta said: “The air ambulance provides a wonderful service and we are fortunate to have it.
“When we go out detecting we are often in very rural locations and it is reassuring to know that if someone is taken ill or has an accident there is an air ambulance that can be at the scene within minutes.
“It is a highly valued service and relies on donations so everyone in our club was motivated to raise as much as they could.
“We are non-profit making and want to grow our membership, which will mean we can raise more money for our chosen charities.
“To do that we need landowners to allow us to detect and we are always keen to hear from them.”
Emily Madigan, Kent Community Fundraiser at Air Ambulance Charity Kent Surrey Sussex (KSS), said: “We’re incredibly grateful to Invictis for their ongoing support and the fantastic £12,500 they’ve raised for Air Ambulance Charity Kent Surrey Sussex (KSS) since 2013.
“Their dedication over the years is truly inspiring, and every pound they’ve raised helps us continue delivering lifesaving treatment and care across Kent, Surrey and Sussex.
“As a charity, 91% of our funding comes from the generosity of our supporters so contributions like this make a real difference to the communities we serve.”
Restore TV
Mobile network services are being upgraded in Ramsgate – boosting speed, performance and coverage. There is a small chance these improvements may cause interference to TV received through an aerial such as Freeview, BT, TalkTalk and YouView.
These improvements will be implemented in Ramsgate, and symptoms could include intermittent sound, blocky images (pixelation) or loss of TV signal.
For residents affected by the upgrades, free support is available from Restore TV. Restore TV is an independent programme created by Mova (Digital Mobile Spectrum Limited), an organisation owned by the UK’s mobile network operators: EE, Virgin Media O2, and VodafoneThree.
Restore TV’s role is to ensure people can continue to enjoy free to view TV if mobile service upgrades cause TV interference. Restore TV reports to the Coexistence Technical Working Group, chaired by Ofcom, which monitors and advises on the programme to ensure free to view TV viewers’ interest are properly served.
The programme offers additional support for people who are 75 years of age or older, are registered blind or partially sighted or receive any of the following benefits: personal independence payments (PIPs); attendance allowance; constant attendance allowance or War Pensioner’s Mobility Support.
Cable and satellite TV, such as Sky or Virgin, are not affected. However, viewers with these services, who also watch free to view TV through an aerial, can receive a free Restore TV filter.
Residents are more likely to be affected if they live in an area with weak digital television reception, have a TV signal booster and whose TV aerial is close to a mobile mast.
For residents in flats or communal buildings, Restore TV provides landlords or property managers with support to resolve the problem.
Any viewers who experience new interference to free to view TV should contact Restore TV on:
- 0808 13 13 800 (free from landlines and mobiles)
- Restoretv.uk
For more information, please visit https://restoretv.uk/
