Breast Cancer Now donation
Graham and Lorraine Burns for Breast Cancer Now in memory of Grace Purkiss (Lorraine’s mum).
They have been raising funds for more than 20 years but most actively in the last 12 years.
Graham was the Karaoke marathon runner and ran The London Marathon and the Great North Run over the last decade with a Karaoke machine strapped to his waist.
Now the fundraising takes place at organised events such as:
Annual Ball at The Yarrow Hotel
Annual Cabaret Night at the Red Arrow Club.
Karaoke at the Counting House, Broadstairs (monthly residency)
Burns Night at the Albion Inn
Karaoke Nights at the Belle Vue, Cliftonville
Other smaller events take place during the year
Part of the couple’s continued fundraising has been with karaoke nights.
The Counting House Bar in Broadstairs offered a monthly residency in the form of a charity karaoke night on the last Thursday of the month and a donation tin at the bar.
All fees and donations go to Breast Cancer Now and over £2,500 was raised this way in 2025.
The amount raised at the December Karaoke tipped Graham and Lorraine’s grand total to over £150,000
Breast Cancer Now, is a charity that funds world-class research and provides life changing care and support.
The Counting House is actively supporting that cause.
Donate online at Www.Justgiving.Com/page/burns
Left to right are Graham Burns and Lorraine Burns with The Counting House’s Daniel Kelsall and Jefferson Brown.
Margate Pride quiz
The pride team are super excited to bring the winter edition of our brilliant fundraising BYO quiz on Wednesday 11th February! Gather your team and get your tickets asap, the link to book is here: https://www.outsavvy.com/event/32793/quiz-raffle
The theme is Back 2 School to tie in with the legends at LGBT+ History month. Hosted by local drag icons the Bussy Cat Dolls, with interactive science round by Carole Kenrick and our headmistress Sue Sanders.
The quiz will be held at Cliftonville Community Centre in St Paul’s Road, February 11, doors open 6.30pm.
If you or anyone you know would be up for donating a prize for the quiz, anything great or small welcomed, it’s always such a magical event raising money to make our lovely pride happen please let me know. Thank you so much. [email protected]
Also get Pride August 8th in the calendar!
Quiz for Ramsgate Youth Centre
February 11, 6.30pm, The Vale Tavern
A fundraising quiz for Ramsgate Youth Centre – Pie Factory Music and Your Choice group with local businessman and author of The Youth Club Years, Graham Twyman.
The Vale Tavern, Ramsgate, 6.30pm for a 7pm start. Teams of up to 5. £4pp. Call Rick/Tracey on 07912 604249
Isle of Thanet Photographic Society
We enjoyed a bumper start to the 2025/26 season with our popular club competitions, excellent talks on topics ranging from The Legendary Lee Miller to Drone Photography and 60 Years of The Red Arrows.
Members have enthusiastically participated in our competitions, with a record number of entries and high standards in both the Advanced and Intermediate Groups.
2026 started with Members looking back over 2025 and sharing five favourite images and their thoughts on what made them special.
Our programme includes topics on Daguerreotypes, Travel, Getting Creative, Studio Photography and Photography with a Purpose. Print and projected image competitions continue until our AGM in June.
We’re also discussing plans and ideas with our colleagues from other East Kent camera clubs based in Ashford, Canterbury, Deal and Herne Bay, building on the wealth of knowledge and love of photography that we all share.
Our excellent new website showcases the latest images, competition results and much more, as well as details of how to join. Visit: www.isleofthanetphotographicsociety.com
The photo above is a very wintry landscape by Colin T. Miller, titled Land of Fire and Ice, taken when a few club Members braved the conditions on a visit to Iceland.
About the Isle of Thanet Photographic Society (known as Thanet’s Camera Club):
The club is a community of photography enthusiasts dedicated to promoting the art and science of photography. Through a variety of events, workshops, and competitions, the club provides a platform for members to enhance their skills, share their work, and connect with like-minded individuals.
The half-year subscription for anyone joining after 31st January is £17.50 plus a weekly attendance fee of £4 per person. (Note that there may be a waiting list for new members wishing to join).
Meetings are held at 7.30 pm on Thursdays at the Portland Centre, Hopeville Avenue, St Peters, Broadstairs CT10 2TR.
RNLI Thanet Fundraising Group
The RNLI Thanet Fundraising Group carried out a charity collection at the Ramsgate New Year’s Day Dip on Thursday 1st January 2026 under permit LN/202500802 issued by Thanet District Council to Steve Burton. A total of £950.26 was collected. Well done to all those who braved the weather and the cold water!
Thanks to everyone who donated on the day in support of the RNLI’s work to Save Lives at Sea.”
Margate RNLI
Margate RNLI’s much-loved and faithful Mersey class all-weather lifeboat, RNLB Leonard Kent, has finally stood down from active service at Newcastle, Co. Down, Northern Ireland while at the same time marking its place in history as the last serving Mersey class lifeboat in the RNLI fleet.
Five years after leaving Margate Leonard Kent has now finally retired from life saving duties and was recently launched from Newcastle for the very last time, manned by the station’s own volunteer crew and bringing to an end the era of the RNLI’s Mersey class lifeboat.
Leonard Kent was replaced by a B class inshore lifeboat at Margate in 2021 but continued to save lives at sea as the permanent station lifeboat at Newcastle in Northern Ireland, replacing its own Mersey class lifeboat which had been withdrawn.
During its 30 years of lifesaving duties at Margate Leonard Kent responded to 419 service calls, saved 21 lives and aided 599 persons and the volunteer crew at Margate who took delivery of the brand new lifeboat in 1991 have fond memories of the boat which, compared with the previous Rother class lifeboat transformed the mission of saving lives at sea at Margate.
Peter Barker, at the time the station’s full-time coxswain/mechanic when the new lifeboat entered service recalls the period: “The Mersey was a huge change – twice the speed and with more than five times the power of the Rother its capabilities were in a different league including an enclosed, watertight and heated wheelhouse with a seat for everyone and at the time, state-of-the-art navigation equipment.
“When it left Margate in 2021 Leonard Kent still looked in showroom condition and it is a tribute to the crew at Newcastle that after 35 years of active service, they have looked after the lifeboat, maintaining it in that same condition and it is also an honour that our old faithful friend has achieved the role of being the last remaining Mersey class lifeboat in service of which 37 were built for the RNLI” said Barker.
Derek Amas, Lifeboat Operations Manager, RNLI Margate said: “Having stood down from seagoing duties on the departure of the Mersey I accepted the role of Lifeboat Operations Manager to lead the crew and station into a new chapter in our history with the Atlantic 85 lifeboat.
“The crew have adapted well to the new lifeboat including complex rescues in challenging conditions. I am sure the crew at Newcastle will do the same in the time-honoured tradition of the RNLI.”
Weekly Tai Chi Sessions Launch at Church House
The Health and Wellbeing Group Birchington have set up a weekly Tai Chi session and residents are invited to take part. It is aimed at supporting health, balance, and wellbeing in a relaxed and welcoming environment.
The sessions will take place every Wednesday at 2pm at Church House and will be led by qualified Tai Chi teacher Angela Young, who has many years of experience teaching Tai Chi to people of all ages and abilities.
Tai Chi is a gentle, low‑impact exercise that promotes strength, flexibility, balance, and relaxation. It is suitable for all ages, and participants may sit down for the exercises if needed, making the sessions accessible to those with mobility or balance concerns.
The cost is a nominal £5 (cash) per session.
Due to space limitations, numbers are restricted to approximately 20 participants. If attendees are unable to attend a session, they are asked to give reasonable notice, as there is a waiting list for those wishing to take part. Places may be reallocated if participants no longer wish to attend or fail to notify of non‑attendance. For more information, please contact our Health and Wellbeing Birchington team member Garry [email protected]
Participants are advised to wear loose, comfortable clothing, with light shoes or bare feet both acceptable, and to bring water or another drink with them.
These sessions provide a great opportunity to enjoy gentle exercise, improve wellbeing, and connect with others in the community.
If you would like more information on the Health and Wellbeing Birchington please follow and share our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/groups/633103746199835
Margate Yoga Studio
Margate Yoga Studio has a new Community Pass scheme designed to make yoga more accessible for people who might otherwise find it financially out of reach. The pass allows anyone who is on benefits, a refugee, a student, a carer, a single parent, or an NHS worker to attend any class, at any time, for £5.
The pass is available on the website, it’s live now so can be booked with no questions asked. Anyone that falls into the category mentioned can use the pass to book any class on the timetable – and this is an ongoing scheme, not time limited so they can attend as regularly as possible.
Link to the pass: https://momence.com/Margate-Yoga-Studio/membership/Community-Price–/622983
Sobar
Sobar is proud to announce its partnership with Turner Contemporary, Margate for the gallery’s first-ever Wellness Festival, launching at the late event on 23 January and running into February.
Sobar is a new curated bar experience showcasing the very best in low- and no-alcohol drinks, designed to redefine the alcohol-free landscape with high-quality serves and innovative flavour profiles.
The concept has been co-created by Ronnie Trainor, founder of Sober Social, and Claire Warner, founder of Drinks Positive, as part of a shared vision to promote mindful drinking and create inclusive social spaces.
Founded through lived experience, Sobar represents a genuine evolution in alcohol-free hospitality. Ronnie Trainor, who marks eight years of sobriety this year, explains:
“Eight years ago, I had no idea what giving up drinking would lead to. I simply wanted to save my life. What I couldn’t have imagined was standing here today, building something that supports others in discovering new, enjoyable alcohol-free experiences. Sobar is a testament to how powerful change can be.”
Sobar’s presence at Turner Contemporary’s Wellness Festival will feature a selection of leading brands that are transforming the alcohol-free category. Confirmed partners include:
Jin Jin
Lucky Saint
Real Co
CleanCo
Three Spirit
Better Sundays
Fever-Tree
The collaboration aims to provide guests with access to thoughtfully crafted drinks in a setting synonymous with creativity, culture, and community. It aligns with Turner Contemporary’s commitment to supporting wellbeing, accessibility and inclusive experiences.
Co-creator Claire Warner added: “Drinks Positive exists to elevate the quality and integrty of alcohol-free options. Partnering with Sobar at Turner Contemporary enables us to offer truly exceptional serves in a space that values innovation, connection and wellbeing.”
The Wellness Festival marks the beginning of an exciting year ahead for Sobar, with further collaborations and activations planned throughout 2026.
About SoBar
SoBar (aka The SoBar Social) is the alcohol-free bar and social movement founded by Ronnie Traynor in 2021, created in response to a growing desire for more inclusive, meaningful ways to gather. What began as a personal journey soon grew into a community-led platform rooted in joy, connection and conscious socialising – free from pressure, stigma or exclusion.
CRABS video release
Margate punk band CRABS have released the video for Shouting at Hotels, the first track from a new EP due out in the new year. The song takes aim at ‘flaggers’.
The band have always written about the things that annoy them as they go about their daily lives. Gentrification, bad art, false claims of building community, rose tinted nostalgia, and the smell of skunk that is just everywhere.
This year, they say that what they’ve increasingly seen as they step out of their front doors are upside down Union Flags and crudely painted St George Crosses on roundabouts.
“The first time we saw a cross painted on a roundabout it just seemed so daft,” says the band. “I mean, as an apparent way of showing national pride, it seems so half-arsed. But as it happened more and all the flags started appearing it became less funny quickly. It’s territorial marking. It’s an effort to make people feel uncomfortable.
“You don’t have to travel far to find roads with flags on every lamppost. And, of course, our county council is Reform’s flagship. There’s a worrying emboldening of views that you would hope were a thing of the past. We don’t know what the answer is, but it felt natural to write a song about it.”
The video for Shouting at Hotels is out now. The song will be released as a limited edition 7” this year, backed with a cover of The Human League’s Sound of the Crowd. The digital release will include two more original tracks – including a withering tourist information guide to the Cliftonville street named the 31st coolest in the world by Time Out.
When will Graham Burns be nominated for an honour? These are the people that really deserve it for services to charity!