Thanet charity Pie Factory Music has received news that Kent County Council (KCC) is ‘disposing’ of Ramsgate Youth Centre, which has been Pie’s headquarters since 2013.
A notice of intention to sell the building in St Lawrence High Street, which was listed as an asset of community value in 2022, was received by Thanet council this month.
It is understood the disposal is part of KCC’s efforts to balance its budget by delivering £108.8m savings over the next two years.
It is the second major blow to Pie Factory Music in just six months. Last November Kent County Council made the decision to end its subsidies for youth clubs and activities commissioned by the council but run by outside organisations. The decision, which came into effect in March, was made to save the county council around £900,000.
It meant a loss of 45% of Pie Factory’s income which resulted in Pie having to cease its youth service in Dover, after seven years of providing activities for the district’s young people.
Now the organisation is launching a fundraiser bid to save its home and buy the youth centre.
Pie Factory Music Chief Executive Zoë Carassik said: “ This is hard news for our charity to share with our young people, and our community, especially after we lost our youth service funding from KCC just six months ago, and with the open-access youth service at the Quarterdeck youth centre in Margate being discontinued.
“We feel strongly that Ramsgate Youth Centre is Pie’s rightful home and we are determined to keep it. So, we’ve decided to try to buy it.
“Today we’re launching a large fundraising campaign, to Save Our Youth Centre, with the aim of raising at least £500,000. This figure encompasses the market value of the property, plus speculative costs of some major maintenance works that the building requires to make it watertight and improve safety.
“We plan to raise this through capital grants from Trusts and Foundations, and by collaborating with partners locally and regionally offering support in different ways.
“This news comes as we all continue to struggle with the ongoing cost of living crisis, so we know that lots of our community aren’t in a position to donate or give money; but we mean it when we say that every little helps, and talking about Pie, advocating for us, and sharing our campaign on your social media is just as powerful for helping us to achieve our goal.
“We believe young people deserve better. We believe that all young people should have a good quality of life with equal access to creative opportunities and a community of support.
“At the moment, young people are being let down by systematic cuts to provision and safe spaces for them to hang out, be creative, and be themselves. They are at higher risk of loneliness, poor mental health and fear of youth violence or exploitation.
“Our young people tell us that our Youth Centre is a “safe haven”, their “second home” and a place to “make a fresh start”, “make friends” and “find freedom”. It’s where we can catch young people at the early stages of something going wrong in their lives, where we can help or protect them from further harm.”
When an owner of an asset of community value, in this case KCC, wants to sell their property, they must notify the local authority, which triggers a moratorium period. This period gives community groups time to raise funds, develop a business plan and make a bid to purchase the property.
Pie Factory Music has informed Thanet council of its intention to buy the building which means a full 6 month moratorium has been triggered, allowing the youth charity time to raise funds.
A letter from TDC confirms the intent to sell, saying: “We received notice from the owners, KCC, of their intention to dispose of the property.”
Kent County Councillor for Ramsgate, Karen Constantine (Labour), said there must be a fight to keep the centre.
She said: “I am appalled that KCC are again attacking already paper thin social provision in Ramsgate, we really are the Cinderella of Kent. Youth services in Ramsgate will be non-existent if Pie Factory is closed. It’s already a huge shame that Ramsgate’s young people have so few youth service options.
“My first career was as a youth worker, working in Wolverhampton, Telford and Newark and I know first-hand the value of supporting young people through these often challenging adolescent years. We all know how challenging times are for our young people. We need more youth provision not less.
“We all need somewhere to go, a place to meet with our friends, and to gain support and advice when needed. That what our youth service provides. As well as building confidence and life-long skills — as I’ve seen first hand at the Pie Factory.
“I’ll be raising questions and lobbying hard for a more positive outcome. We must fight hard to retain this facility. Everything we depend on is being slowly salami sliced to nothing.”
Pie Factory Music is a creative youth charity set up in 2002. It offers a safe space for young people in Thanet to access opportunities through youth work, music and arts projects, pastoral care and counselling.
Until 2024, Pie Factory Music also delivered two youth services for Kent County Council, providing open-access youth provision in both the Thanet and Dover districts.
Kent County Council has been contacted for comment.
Find out more at www.piefactorymusic.com/save-our-youth-centre
If you would like to support Pie’s campaign, you can donate here.
