Ramsgate volunteers have been working with Screen South for the past year to help develop two heritage walks highlighting the impact World War One had on the town.
This Saturday (February 24), between 11am and 3pm, there will be a special event, offering two guided trails of one of the new walks.
Creative development agency Screen South hopes to raise awareness of the heritage trails with organised walks across Kent and the volunteers in Ramsgate have stepped up to help with the challenge.
Their goal is to have 100 people walk the trail in Ramsgate either with a guide or on their own. Along the trail, there will be three large poppies installed which walkers are encouraged to take selfies with and post on twitter to @kentWW1 or facebook at @Visit Ramsgate using #kentww1. The first 100 participants will receive a limited edition pin badge and refreshments on completion of the walk.
In Ramsgate, a red walk and a green walk have been created and a trail leaflet has been produced. This was largely thanks to Laura Probert, local historian and an expert on the Great War and its impact on the town. On Saturday, the 1.8 mile red walk will be showcased as it is considered an easy trail taking approximately one hour to 90 minutes to complete.
Anyone who completes the walk on their own or with one of the guides is welcome to return to the Ramsgate Maritime Museum for refreshments and to receive their pin badge.
Pastries and other bakes will be provided by isle patissier, George Bellamy-Adams who runs The Modern Boulangerie. The museum will be open from 11am until 3pm to host the event and people are encouraged to complete the walk during those hours to receive their badge.
The Ramsgate guided tours will start at midday and 1pm from the Sailor’s Church, Military Road. The first walk will be hosted by resident historian and Blitz Walks tour guide Bob Pryor. The second walk will be run by Rosemary Kirk from The Ramsgate Society, who is one of the costumed walks tour guides.
Walkers are asked to come to the Maritime Museum to register prior to their guided trail.
If you prefer the self guided option, you can collect the trail leaflet from the Visitor Information Centre in Harbour Parade or from the Maritime Museum.
In Westgate there will be a heritage walk, also on Saturday, which will be launched by North Thanet MP Sir Roger Gale from St Saviour’s Church at 11.15am. Trail leaflets, pins and refreshments will be at Westgate Heritage Centre in St Saviour’s Church, Westgate Bay Avenue. The centre will be open to walkers from 10.30am.
The walk is a circular route starting and ending at St Saviour’s Church. The furthest point is the RNAS Memorial plaque at St Mildred’s Bay.
There will be an exhibition in the church showing how life in Westgate-on-Sea was transformed by the war with sections on the RNAS seaplane base at St Mildred’s Bay, the VAD hospitals, the role of the Westgate-on-Sea Parish Council and the vital part played by the parish church of St Saviour. There will be archive material and artefacts on display, which are not usually available.
There will be hot drinks available, free of charge, throughout the event.
On Sunday (February 25) Margate will hold its heritage walk from 11am. Pick up the trail leaflet from Margate Museum, take some selfies on the walk and return to the museum in Market Place before 1.30pm to receive the pin badge.
The walks are suitable for all ages, particularly those interested in local history or studying World War One.
How to take part
To sign up for tours and receive more details contact mailto:[email protected]
For Ramsgate guided walks, state your preferred time, there are 50 places available
There is additional information about each walk on the KentWW1 website, which includes downloadable pdfs for the trails, history of the town during the first part of the 20th Century and a booklet that describes the sites in more detail.
Find Margate and Westgate trails here
Screen South received Heritage Lottery Funds to produce the trails across Kent and named the project ‘100 Miles for
100 Years’ to commemorate Kent’s rich history during the First World War. The website provides extra information about all trails.
