HM Coastguard Margate
HM Coastguard Margate has marked a significant moment in its history, celebrating two long‑serving volunteers. while recognising an impressive 275 years of combined service at the station.
Simon Goodwin has been honoured for an outstanding 40 years of service with HM Coastguard. Throughout four decades, Simon has played a vital role in countless operations, providing steady leadership, exceptional operational knowledge, and unwavering dedication to protecting lives along the Kent coastline.
Also recognised was Kim Sullivan, who has reached an exceptional milestone of 30 years of service. Kim’s professionalism, compassion, and reliability have made him a trusted and respected member of the team, contributing to the success of numerous lifesaving missions.
Together, Simon and Kim represent 70 years of frontline experience and commitment. Their achievements form a key part of HM Coastguard Margate’s broader milestone: a combined 275 years of service contributed by volunteers.
A spokesperson for HM Coastguard Margate said: “Reaching 40 and 30 years of service is a remarkable testament to the dedication of our volunteers. Simon and Kim’s long‑standing commitment reflects the strength of our team and the vital role HM Coastguard continues to play in keeping our coastline safe.”
HM Coastguard Margate continues to operate 24/7, responding to emergencies, supporting coastal safety, and serving the local community with professionalism and pride.
Westgate and Birchington Inner Wheel
Westgate and Birchington Inner Wheel is holding a fundraising Valentine’s dance with the DNA band playing music from the 60s through to the 80s in aid of Louie’s Helping Hands charity.
The event takes place on February 13, 7pm, at Birchington United Services Club in Station Road.
Tickets are £10 and limited to 70 places. To book call Hazel on 01843 833565 or 07889 655497 or email [email protected]
QEQM Hospital League of Friends
Patients and their families in the postnatal area of Maternity (Kingsgate Ward) now have the use of 4 recliner armchairs we recently funded at a cost of just over £5k.
One of the chairs is shown with Ward Manager Rebecca, who said they are very much appreciated.
The chairs’ ergonomic design and supportive cushioning enhance comfort aiding recovery while their simple lines and minimal seams assist infection prevention.
If you can, please help us by donating or fundraising on our behalf – details of how you can do so can be found at www.qeqmfriends.com
Arts Society Thanet
The first lecture of 2026 takes place on 15 January. It is entitled ‘Oh no, dear. That’s not funny. Cartoonists on Cartooning’ Our lecturer will be Harry Venning the celebrated cartoonist, comedy writer and performer. Readers of ‘The Stage’ and ‘Guardian’ newspaper will be aware of ‘Hamlet, an actor prepares’ and ‘Clare in the Community’. The lecture commences at 2.30pm at St Peter’s Church Hall, Hopeville Avenue.
Please aim to arrive just after 2pm in order to obtain a seat (and a parking space!). Please also be aware that there are lots of roadworks in the area so please allow extra time for your journey.
Non members are warmly welcomed, £8.50 pp or £6 if you are a member of another Arts Society. Please feel free to stay for refreshments afterwards.
Charity Family Quiz Night
Rebecca Webster, a member of Kent Fire Cadets and 6th Form student at Royal Harbour Academy is arranging a Family Quiz night for 23rd January at St Peters Memorial Hall, amongst other events throughout the year.
The aim is to raise funds for her charity trip to Tanzania through Camps International to support ongoing charity work there. They shall be building schools, working with communities and creating wells for fresh water amongst other things to improve the lives of the people who live there.
She currently has a Facebook page (Rebeccas Tanzania Charity Trek) set up to keep people up to date with what is planned and a GoFundMe for people to donate if they would prefer. On the Facebook page there are ongoing raffles and a bonus ball game.
Doors open for the quiz at 7.30pm. Teams of two to six people, adults £5, children £2.50, includes raffle strip and lucky door number,
£50 prize money.
For tickets/info contact Rachael Webster on 077143 52564.
The Sunken Garden Society
We were thrilled to return to RHS Wisley in October 2025 to receive a Level 5 It’s My Neighbourhood Award and an RHS Silver Gilt Biodiversity Award for the Sunken Garden. Here we share our submission, which takes you through the year in the Garden:
With a coastal location, the chalky alkaline soil of the Sunken Garden has both advantages and disadvantages for plants. While good drainage is an advantage, in long hot Thanet breezy summers, the soil dries out very quickly. Plants here in the Garden have been selected to thrive in this unique coastal location. They must withstand regular north-easterly, salt-laden winds and the maritime climate.
Planting in the Garden is mindful of this with the creation of habitat for fauna, alongside growing flowers and shrubs for pollinators.
Regular Community Gardening Days are held throughout the year, bringing the community together to plant, sow and maintain the Garden. These often incorporate monitoring sessions for birds and insects.
The Sunken Garden Year follows the seasonal changes of the calendar, with Community Gardening Days taking place on the second Tuesday and last Saturday of each month.
The year begins as winter leaves the Garden, with the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch, where there are experts on hand with binoculars and knowledge, to help identify the birds and share tips on how to attract birds into gardens at home. This year we were joined by Greg from Bird Wise East Kent and members of Thanet RSPB, plus Little Egret Pottery with their beautiful ceramic bird feeders.
Between us we spotted more than seagulls (although we discovered that is a mis-nomer from one of the Bird Wise leaflets ‘There’s no such thing as a seagull!’) and saw blackbirds, woodpigeons, hedge and garden sparrows and the chirpy robin, along with flocks heading further afield flying overhead.
RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch is the world’s largest garden wildlife survey. Every year hundreds of thousands of nature lovers like you take part, helping to build a picture of how garden birds are faring.
As the ground warms and we move towards spring, over the next couple of months we hold a seed swap – sharing the seeds of pollinators that have been harvested in the Garden and stored safely. We also join in with the RHS Grow With It initiative, which brings people together to discover the plants that encourage biodiversity, attracting pollinating insects including bees, hoverflies and butterflies and discovering the benefits of green space and connecting with nature. We see white tail bumblebees on the lavender and rosemary, red tail bumblebees on the clover in the lawn. Solitary bees including black mining bees, are seen alongside hoverflies, shield bugs and fire bugs.
Pollinators in the Garden include lavender, nepeta, perovskia, echinops, sea holly and rosemary. Gaps in the limestone walls in the Garden make a perfect spot for nesting bumblebees in the spring.
During our 2024 Eco Fair, held in the autumn, artist Louis Michel, created a bee sculpture on site, using steamed UK harvested willow. Louis is internationally known for his environmental messaging and discussions surrounding the plight of pollinating bees. This led to indigenous, pollinating climbing plants being encouraged to spindle their way around the entirety of the sculpture. Within 3 to 4 years the blooms of these plants will completely cover the willow, encouraging more local pollinators to visit. The signage beside the sculpture raises awareness in visitors to the Garden.
Hedge maintenance and pruning of plants is restricted during the nesting seasons, to enable birds and wildlife to nurture their young undisturbed by man. With blackbirds, sparrows, robins and woodpigeons incubating their eggs in the Garden, the birdlife continues to thrive and bring its distinctive sounds.
We welcome young people into the Garden and they are an important part of the community, the next generation of custodians. We support teenagers undertaking their Duke of Edinburgh’s Awards and local Scout groups drop in to help with moving leaves, fallen from the evergreen oaks, to the hedgelines, where they can break down slowly, feeding millions of microorganisms and making excellent compost and mulch, meanwhile proving valuable habitat for the many ground-dwelling invertebrates.
“They were super involved and engaged in learning about insects and different flower types and took away some knowledge about weeds. We were super impressed with the knowledge and enthusiasm that Peter gave the scouts.“ Foggy, Scout Leader
Summer brings the bees and butterflies into the Garden, with monitoring taking place during the Big Butterfly Count, initiated by Butterfly Conservation, and with participants of all ages we counted 10 species with over 100 butterflies in the Sunken Garden, including large white, small white, gatekeeper, green veined white, meadow brown, red admiral, holly blue, common blue and Jersey tiger. Described as taking the pulse of nature, counting butterflies helps to assess how much help nature needs. The data from this, and other counts across the UK, also helps identify important trends in species that assist in planning how to protect butterflies from extinction, as well as understanding the effect of climate change on wildlife.
Working with the Bumblebee Conservation Trust the range and abundance of pollinator-friendly plants has been increased and the Garden contains a variety of plants chosen to suit the needs of a diversity of bees and to extend the forage season for bumblebees and other pollinators throughout the year. Tree echiums, planted in 2018 as tiny plants are now towers of foraging bees through the summer months.
As summer comes to an end, we are in full preparation for the Sunken Garden Eco Fair, 2025 brings its third iteration. The Garden is filled with organisations and businesses who hold nature, wildlife, ecology, conservation, tree care, sustainability and gardening in dry conditions at their hearts. Speakers share their knowledge on topics from hedgehogs to peat and workshops offer foraging walks, trails for children and growing edible plants. With over 40 information points and stalls the day passes too quickly in conversation, discussion and knowledge sharing.
As we move into winter the community joins in the planting of 1000s of spring bulbs, including crocus, snowdrops and muscari, to bring a bright and colourful display whilst increasing the foraging for all the early emerging pollinators from February onwards. There’s no need for know-how, just a community spirit and warm clothing. We also make festive wreaths with long cuttings from trees in the garden, decorated with seed heads and evergreens foraged from the plants.
Dead trees are planted over the winter, as standing dead wood holds additional benefits for garden ecology and biodiversity. Our log pile is already on the PTES map and makes great habitat for stag beetles and other insects. Leaving some areas of the garden ‘untidy’ means hibernating bumblebees can find shelter and protection during the winter.
National Tree Week is celebrated with a Tree Walk around the Garden, sharing insights and knowledge about the trees, animal life and biodiversity of the area.
The Sunken Garden is situated on the clifftop beside Royal Esplanade, Margate Kent CT9 5EJ
Copperfield Court
Crystal Care Collection has announced renowned television personality, author, and lifestyle advocate Anthea Turner as the care home provider’s new ambassador.
Operating care homes across the UK, including Copperfield Court in Broadstairs, Crystal Care Collection provides residential, dementia, and respite care with an all-inclusive fee.
In this role, Anthea will help shine a spotlight on the exceptional standards of care, community, and wellbeing provided across Crystal Care Collection’s care homes.
With a long-standing public profile and a passion for promoting positive living, Anthea will support Crystal Care Collection’s mission to enrich the lives of residents and raise awareness around the importance of compassionate, person-centred care.
Anthea Turner said, “I’m looking forward to working as an ambassador for Crystal Care Collection. Quality care is one of the most important pillars of later life, and a strong sense of community within a care home can transform lives.
“I hope to get to know the residents and team members and to witness first-hand the incredible care provided within each of their communities every day.”
Anthea’s ambassadorship will include visiting care homes, meeting residents and staff, and participating in key campaigns that communicate Crystal Care Collection’s values.
Liz Walker, Managing Director for Crystal Care Collection homes in the north of England, said, “We are thrilled to welcome Anthea Turner as part of the Crystal Care Collection family. Her enthusiasm, warmth, and genuine compassion align perfectly with our values. We believe her advocacy will bring lots of smiles to our residents faces and help highlight the exceptional care we deliver every day.”
For more information, call 0330 4010014, email [email protected] or visit www.crystalcarecollection.co.uk.
Sue Ryder charity
National palliative care and bereavement charity, Sue Ryder is calling on people across the community to support the charity by donating any unwanted Christmas presents to their local Sue Ryder shop.
From clothing that isn’t quite your style to unused gadgets or home accessories that clash with your decor and destined for the back of a cupboard, the charity is encouraging people to give these items a second life. Donations will help declutter homes after the festive season while raising vital funds for people facing a terminal illness or grief.
Any unwanted items can be dropped off at any local Sue Ryder shop, and free furniture collections can be arranged through the charity’s website.
With almost 400 shops across the UK, money raised in-store will help fund Sue Ryder’s expert palliative and end-of-life care in its hospices and people’s homes, as well as range of free bereavement support the charity provides.
Karen Rogers, Retail Regional Manager at Sue Ryder said: “Many of us receive gifts at Christmas that we won’t use. By donating them to Sue Ryder, you’ll be helping people receive palliative and end-of-life care and bereavement support, so no one faces death or grief alone – while also reducing waste and starting the New Year with a clearer home.
“We’d be grateful to receive any unwanted Christmas gifts or donations from a general clear out, including any quality clothing, accessories, homewares, electricals, books and children’s toys.”
To find your nearest Sue Ryder shop or for more information on donating visit: sueryder.org/shop
I think it’s wonderful that the Sunken Gardens at Westbrook are now getting much love and attention .as I’ve long thought it was a local hidden treasure
I did several nude photoshoots there around 15 years ago!