A herd of reindeer come to Ramsgate for this month's Handmade Fair

Saturday 15 November, 10am - 5pm

Makers all over Thanet are getting well and truly into the Christmas spirit. This month’s Handmade Fair in Ramsgate promises a brilliant selection of crafty gifts, so it’s the place to be to find a perfect and affordable selection of presents – and all from local makers and artists!

One of Ramsgate’s busiest crafters is surely Lindy Tweddell. She runs a weekly Craft Club after school at Christchurch Primary School on London Road. It’s so popular that she’s started a second session and there’s still a waiting list. Children are currently learning how to make Christmas rag wreaths, one of Lindy’s creative inventions. Last month she came up with Viking helmets for the Winternights event and her house is filling up with all sorts of stocking filler gifts to bring to the Fair. Lovely hand printed cards and spice bags are popular, and there’s this herd of twig reindeer due to come to the Custom House on Saturday, each with a ribbon and Christmas bell! She came up with doggy bandanas as a new line, which have been snapped up by a London shop, so all in all, Christmas is a great season for her crafting skills.

Come and see Lindy’s work on Saturday 15 November from 10am – 5pm at The Custom House, Harbour Parade, Ramsgate. The Fair is in the upstairs room above the Visitor Information Centre. There’s a dozen stalls with Christmas delights from pickles to jewellery, doggy bandanas to reindeer!

If anyone wants to come and sell their work, get in touch to book a space through www.nice-things.co.uk or by calling 07946 147032.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Date:               Next Handmade Fair Saturday 15 November 2014

Venue:           Upstairs at the Custom House, Harbour Parade, Ramsgate CT11 8LP (same place as the Visitor Information Centre)

Time:              10am – 5pm

Contact:          info@nice-things.co.uk

Web:               www.nice-things.co.uk

Twitter:          @NiceThingsRamsg

Facebook:      Nice Things, Ramsgate or Ramsgate Handmade Fairs

NEWS, events and shows

At our AGM last week, we're delighted that 6 Members were elected as new Trustees of Ramsgate Arts. We'll be having a creative planning session before Christmas for 2015 and beyond. 

Some of you will have seen the burning of our Viking boat on the beach on Sunday 2 November, at Winternights. There was an hour of clear sky just in time for a procession and the bonfire, postponed from the Squall bank holiday Monday. We were sorry to burn such a lot of work, but it was a very successful event! 

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10153001087250348.1073741831.303243895347&type=1

There's two shows taking place in East Kent that we'd like to promote and recommend to you...

"An Evening with Marlene Dietrich" is an Arts Council supported play written and performed by Anette Mutton  

Friday 14th November @ Horsebridge Centre, Whitstable. Tickets £8 in advance or £10 on the door, 01227 281174

Saturday 15th November @ Mrs Jones Kitchen Cafe, Canterbury. You can have dinner whilst watching the show, 01227 787786.

The show covers Dietrich's life from when she was a Hollywood film icon in the 1930's, to when she sang for the Allied troops on the front line during World War II, followed by a long career as a cabaret artist working alongside Burt Bacharach. She was a fascinating women, although German she took American citizenship because of Hitler, but her heart belonged to France and she actually spoke perfect English with a French accent!  She met many great men and women, from Noel Coward to Edith Piaf.  She spent the last 12 years of her life in bed in her apartment in Paris, but she was never lazy, she would start answering fan mail from her bed at 6.30am and liked to feel she was still influential in the world. Her phone bill was enormous, she would ring Ronald Reagan and give him advice! The show reveals her life story plus the wonderful heartfelt songs that she sang.

"Ramsgate Buzz 2014 - The Daughters of Elvin"

Saturday 22 November, Sailors' Church, Military Road, Ramsgate

Organised by Claire Dugue, this magical band make a return visit after four years. The setting in the Victorian church just adds to the atmosphere. The show sold out last time, so do book ahead. The band members are: 

Katie Marchant - Voice, Bagpipes, Recorders, Pipe and Salterio, Shawm
Steve Tyler - Hurdy-gurdy, Gothic Harp, Cittern
Tim Garside - Percussions, Nay
Tickets available from Claire Dugue on 01843 588 470 or mail@claire-dugue.com
Adult £12  Children (under 16) £7 Doors open at 19.00 for a 19.30 start.

https://www.facebook.com/events/1488736718072890/?pnref=story

Looping the Loop 2015

We have confirmed that the fourth Looping the Loop festival of live performance, produced in partnership with the Tom Thumb Theatre and Ellie Jones, will run between 1 - 6 May, with productions from Battersea Arts Centre:

• The Adventure (an adventure in all aspects, for children aged 7+ and families)
• Gloriator (a very funny, almost stand-up show)
• Lorraine & Allan (a big hit at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, for adults)

We're developing a programme of work created in East Kent and building intriguing partnerships for this next festival. More details to come through www.loopingtheloopfestival.org.uk

We hope this work is of interest and that we'll see you at one, or another. 

www.ramsgatearts.org

Creating and provoking opportunities to enjoy art

www.ramsgatearts.org 

     

Ramsgate Arts Festival Ltd is a registered charity 1150096

Voices 1914-1918 raises £500.00 (five hundred pounds) for the Royal British Legion

£500.00 (five hundred pounds) was raised at WW1 Centenary event, Voices 1914-1918, on Saturday 8th November at the historic Sailors Church, Ramsgate harbour.
 
The church was packed and all seemed to enjoy the poignant combination of live cello and WW1 poetry readings.
 
Jayne Evelyn, the event's producer, would like to thank everyone who participated: members of the audience for their attendance, rapt attention and generous donations; local artist Michael Blaker for excellent illustrations on the advertising poster; cellist Charles Martin, formerly of the BBC Symphony Orchestra for his wonderful compositions and playing; fellow readers John Coverdale, Robin Fleet and Penelope Perrott for their expressive readings; Reverend Gordon Warren and Church Trustees for accommodation and support.
 
The poignant, memorial verses of the WW1 poets are a rich legacy of the Great War. We shall remember them and all who served. A cheque for £500.00 has been duly dispatched to The Royal British Legion HQ in London.   

Cabinet to discuss proposal on Royal Sands development

Cabinet will consider outline details of a proposal that would potentially enable the Royal Sands development on Ramsgate seafront to move forward at a meeting next week (Thursday 16 October).

Thanet District Council has been in negotiations with Cardy Construction Ltd who have indicated that they are willing in principle to buy out existing development partner SFP Ventures UK Ltd.

The council served a breach notice on SFP earlier this year over non-completion of the works to build 107 residential units, a 60-bedroom hotel and commercial units on the former Pleasurama site.

This triggered a mediation process, during which the offer from Cardy was raised.

Cabinet member for estates Cllr Rick Everitt said: “Discussions with Cardy have been positive and this item is to share more detail with elected members and the public, as well as to move the matter forward, because we recognise the level of interest there is in the scheme.

“I must stress that because of the existing agreement, signed in 2006 and 2009, we are not currently able to market the site and that we are legally bound to take all reasonable steps to get the agreed scheme built out.

“However, progress is still subject to a successful conclusion to negotiations and a full due diligence process.”

The scheme would be built in accordance with the existing planning consent and the council would receive payments due under the current agreement in a more timely manner, as well as a guarantee that the site would revert to the council if works are not completed to the new schedule.

For more information please see our FAQ's.

ENDS

THANET’S AUSTRALIAN LINK AUSTRALIAN PUGIN EXPERT TO GIVE PUBLIC TALK AT ST AUGUSTINE’S, RAMSGATE

Thanet will be visited by a leading Pugin expert – travelling from Australia – next week. Bishop Geoffrey Jarrett is a Director of the Pugin Foundation in Australia, and will present a talk at Pugin’s personal church and burial-place in Ramsgate.

His talk, “Pugin in the Antipodes,” will focus on the work Augustus Pugin undertook in Australia. Most famous for designing much of the Houses of Parliament, Pugin lived in Ramsgate from 1843 until his death in 1852. Here he built his ideal design: St Augustine’s.

The talk will be at Pugin’s church of St Augustine, Ramsgate, on 15^th October at 7pm.

The talk is free, with donations welcome.

Pugin’s legacy, including Ramsgate’s spectacular buildings, is also part of Australian history. Although he never travelled to Australia, Pugin designed several churches for the then-colonies, and sent models of his designs across the seas.

It was whilst Pugin was living in Ramsgate that many of his Australian designs were built. Some of the most famous buildings in Australia – including St Mary’s Cathedral, Sydney, and St Patrick’s Cathedral, Melbourne, were designed by his pupils, and owe a great deal to the designs Pugin built in Ramsgate.

This talk will focus on Pugin’s Australian legacy, illustrating the link between Ramsgate and that great continent-country.

Fr Marcus Holden, Rector of St Augustine’s, said, “We are very fortunate to have Bishop Jarrett speaking here. He is a well-known aficionado of Pugin, and his talk promises to be well worth hearing.”

Centre Manager, John Coverdale, said, “St Augustine’s is really the centre of the Pugin and Gothic Revival world. Having an Australian give such a talk shows how wide the appeal of Ramsgate’s heritage is. We have real historical treasure here, and Bishop Jarrett will be most interesting to hear his perspective on it.”

Bishop Geoffrey Jarrett is Bishop of Lismore, New South Wales, and is of Kentish descent. He was born in Kyneton, Victoria, Australia, on 1st December, 1937, the elder son of Hylton and Beatrice Jarrett, the third generation to be born there of an English pioneer family in the district. He has Kentish ancestors.

He was educated at Trinity Grammar School in Melbourne. After working in London for several years in the Film Unit of BBC Television, he commenced studies for the Anglican ministry at the Theological College of the Society of the Sacred Mission at Kelham, Nottinghamshire. On returning to Australia he worked as an Anglican priest until he was received into the Catholic Church in 1965.

Archbishop Guilford Young accepted him as a candidate for the Archdiocese of Hobart and his further studies were entrusted to the Marist Fathers at St Peter Chanel Seminary, Toongabbie, NSW. Bishop Jarrett was ordained priest by Archbishop Young in Sydney on 14th May, 1970.

During his 30 years' ministry in Tasmania Bishop Jarrett was Administrator of St Mary's Cathedral and a parish priest in Hobart. He was active in ecumenical affairs as a member of the Executive of the Tasmanian Council of Churches and as Chaplain and Honorary Fellow of Jane Franklin Hall within the University of Tasmania. From 1994 to 1999 he was National Chairman of the Australian Confraternity of Catholic Clergy.

Bishop Jarrett was appointed a bishop by Pope John Paul II in 2000, and his episcopal Ordination took place in St Carthage's Cathedral, Lismore, on 22 February 2001. Upon the retirement of Bishop Satterthwaite he became the fifth Bishop of Lismore on 1 December, 2001.

“Pugin in the Antipodes” by Bishop Geoffrey Jarrett, Pugin’s church of St Augustine, Ramsgate.

15^th October, 7pm. FREE, donations welcome.

Turner Contemporary announces 2014 autumn events programme

Jeremy Deller: English Magic opens at Turner Contemporary on 11 October 2014. English Magicfurther explores Jeremy Deller’s ongoing interest in the diverse nature of British society: its people, myths and folklore as well as its broad cultural, socio-political and economic history. Following a national tour since January 2014, Turner Contemporary presents the full spectrum and final UK showcase of the exhibition, commissioned by the British Council for the British Pavilion at the Venice Biennale in 2013. The exhibition is accompanied by a series of stimulating talks and events. Contemporary artist Jeremy Deller is joined by political commentator John Kampfner to discuss the topic of wealth to coincide with Jeremy’s exhibition and the release of Kampfner’s book The Rich. Author and poet Clive Wilmer explores the work of William Morris and John Ruskin and their influence on Victorian society. To coincide the release of Mike Leigh’s biopic of JMW Turner on 31 October starring actor Timothy Spall, Tim Wright, the artist who taught Spall how to paint as Turner for the film, and Charlie Cobb, who produced the Turner paintings for the film, discuss working on the making of Mr Turner in an exclusive talk at Turner Contemporary. Throughout the autumn programme, the gallery will show monthly screenings of films made by artists. This series is presented in association with the ICA with support from The Foyle Foundation.  In December artist group Janez Janša, Janez Janša and Janez Janša undertake a presentation and performance organised in collaboration with UCA Canterbury. To conclude 2014, Turner Contemporary welcomes in the festive season with a performance by the Big Sing choir and a workshop of festive folk decorations with artist Zoe Murphy. Winter opening times Tuesday – Sunday and bank holidays, 10am – 5pm Admission to the gallery is free.          Other autumn highlights include:

Opening day Sat 11 Oct, 11am - 4pm, free Celebrate the opening of English Magic: interact with flying machines with artist Savinder Bual, see live birds of prey from Tomar Owl Sanctuary, make protest statements with artists Fiona De Bulat and Paul Atkins (11am – 2pm, free), then listen to The Melodians Steel Orchestra and Turner Contemporary’s resident choir the Big Sing, who feature in Jeremy Deller’s English Magic film (2pm / 4pm). Family workshops   Try something new in the gallery every week with our Easy Sunday activities.   Easy Sunday: Sculpt the Sky Sun 12, Sun 26 Oct, 1 – 4pm, drop in £3.50 per child/ free for adults, under 3s and families living in CT9 postcode Bring the outdoors in, creating your own cloud sculptures inspired by artist Edmund de Waal, whose new work atmosphere  is on show in our Sunley Gallery until 8 February 2015.   Easy Sunday:  Folk Art Sun 19 Oct , 1 – 4pm, drop in £3.50 per child/ free for adults, under 3s and families living in CT9 postcode Jeremy Deller's work in English Magic looks at folk traditions. Create your own images and objects based on your own family traditions.   Student Late Tue 21 Oct, 6-8pm, free University students… for one night only, the gallery space is completely yours. Come to the gallery for a special late night event where you can create your own art with leading artists, and take part in a philosophical inquiry about the artworks on show at Turner Contemporary. Learn from the TC team and others.     Performance: I Believe in Unicorns  Thu 23 Oct, 4pm £3.50 children / free for adults, under 3s and families living in CT9 postcode Michael Morpurgo’s treasured story is told in a spellbinding one-woman show. This intimate one-woman show is set in a library full of books that hold more than stories within their pages. It is the tale of the power of books and the bravery of a young boy called Tomas. Tomas hates reading and school, but his world is turned upside down the day he meets the Unicorn Lady in his local library… An enchanting and interactive production by Olivier Award nominated Wizard, I Believe in Unicorns sparks imagination in both young and old, and challenges you not to believe in unicorns after joining Tomas’s spellbinding journey. Add your own piece of magic to the story by bringing a children’s book to become part of the set and swap it for another at the end. In partnership with Theatre Royal Margate. Book tickets at theatreroyalmargate.com. Art on Screen:  Ryan Trecartin Wed 29 Oct, 6pm, £3 / £2 concessions Watch our series of films made by artists. LA-based artist Ryan Trecartin’s high-octane videos reference television and feature film; their surreal narratives spotlight American youth culture and its contradictions and nuances. Originally releasing his videos on YouTube in the mid-2000s, Trecartin’s visual vocabulary is heavy with irony and pop-culture motifs.   See more in the Art on Screen series: Loretta Fahrenholz 19 Nov Continental Drift 17 Dec   Family workshop: Big Prints Wed 29 and Thu 30 Oct, 1 – 4pm, drop in £3.50 per child/ free for adults, under 3s and families living in CT9 postcode It’s the national Big Draw and you can create big industrial-sized prints with artist Jennifer Price.

Easy Sunday:  Folk Art Sun 2, Sun 16, Sun 30  Nov, 1 – 4pm, drop in £3.50 per child/ free for adults, under 3s and families living in CT9 postcode Jeremy Deller's work in English Magic looks at folk traditions. Create your own images and objects based on your own family traditions.   Felicity Aston Tue 4 Nov, 3pm, tickets £6 / £5 Explorer Felicity Aston was the first woman in the world to ski across Antarctica alone. In 2014, she made the 36,000km expedition from the UK to north-east Siberia. At this talk she gives an insight into her journey. A showcase of photographs from the expedition is on show in our ground floor exhibition Pole of Cold: What does winter mean to you? (4 November 2014 – 1 February 2015).     Adult workshop: Painting Wed 5, Wed 12, Wed 19, Wed 26 Nov / Wed 3 Dec, 10.30am – 1.30pm, £75 This autumn, Kent Adult Education is running a series of art courses for you to discover and develop your inner artist.   Become an expert at drawing and painting with guidance from artist Judith Bing at this 5 week course. The course runs from 5 November to 3 December.    Figure and Portrait Drawing Thu 6, Thu 13, Thu 20, Thu 27 Nov / Thu 4 Dec, 10am – 12.30pm, £75 This autumn, Kent Adult Education is running a series of art courses for you to discover and develop your inner artist. Over 5 weeks, perfect your figure and portrait drawing using live models.  Various approaches to portrait drawing will be introduced, with the focus on individual, one-to-one, tuition.    The course runs from 6 November to 4 December.    Digital Imaging Sat 8 Nov, 10am – 6pm, £50 This autumn, Kent Adult Education is running a series of art courses for you to discover and develop your inner artist.   Jeremy Deller and John Kampfner in conversation Thu 6 Nov, 6.30pm, tickets £8 / £6 / £23 for talk & 2 course dinner with wine What do a contemporary artist and a political commentator  have to say about wealth?  In Deller’s exhibition English Magic, mythical acts of revenge are taken on the excesses of oligarchs and the super-rich. In his new book, The Rich, John Kampfner profiles the psychology of the rich through the ages from ancient Egypt to the oligarchies of modern Russia and China: how they came to their wealth, how they spent it. In this lively discussion Deller and Kampfner explore the impact of capitalism on society. First Friday: Folk  Fri 7 Nov, 6-9pm, free Smugglers records return to the gallery for an evening of folk, with singer Will Varley’s irresistible songs, music and more.  Plus see English Magic at night and experience Kent’s folk music at its best.  Easy Sunday: Sculpt the Sky Sun 9 Nov, 1 – 4pm, drop in £3.50 per child/ free for adults, under 3s and families living in CT9 postcode Bring the outdoors in, creating your own cloud sculptures inspired by artist Edmund de Waal, whose new work atmosphere is on show in our Sunley Gallery until 8 February 2015.   Cracking the Crinoline  Sat 15 Nov, 1pm / 2pm / 3pm, free A short, sharp and surprising performance by Stephenson Thompson’s Moving Memory Company combining crinolines, corsets and boxing boots.  These Queen B’s remind us not to take little old ladies for granted.  Join them for a performance that is uplifting, life enhancing and will leave you reaching for your Marigolds.           Parliament Week: Art and Politics symposium Sat 15 Nov, 1.30 – 5pm, tickets £8 / £6, special café menu on the day for ticket holders Is all art political? Is there a difference between political art and propaganda? Can art make a real political impact, or does it just preach to the converted? Speakers Bernadette Buckley, Diarmuid Costello, JJ Charlesworth, Gordana Fontana-Giusti, Jon Kear, and others discuss these compelling questions.  Organised by the History of Art Department at the University of Kent in association with Turner Contemporary. Art on Screen: Loretta Fahrenholz Wed 19 Nov, 6pm, £3 / £2 concessions Watch our series of films made by artists. Loretta Fahrenholz’s films are diverse in subject matter, often arising through close collaboration with her subjects. At the heart of her filmmaking practice is the act of revealing social on socio-political conditions through the fictional interpretation of true events – her juxtaposition of pop culture references with intense human interactions creating an uneasy presence on screen.   The Making of Mr Turner Thu 20 Nov, 6:30pm, £10 / £8 To coincide with the release on 31 October of Mike Leigh’s biopic of JMW Turner starring actor Timothy Spall, Tim Wright, the artist who taught Spall how to paint as Turner for the film, and Charlie Cobb, who produced the Turner Paintings for the film, discuss working on the making of Mr Turner.    The films follows the last 25 years of Turner’s life, when he spent time in Margate and stayed at Sophia Booth’s guesthouse, where Turner Contemporary is now situated.     Parliament Week: Giant chess 21 Nov, 10am – 4pm, free Young people from Bradfield School in Gillingham, Kent display and demonstrate their handmade chess set created from recycled car parts, in partnership with Skills22/Catch22.  Easy Sunday special:  Festive Lanterns 23 Nov, 1 – 4pm drop in £3.50 per child/ free for adults, under 3s and families living in CT9 postcode Make large scale paper lanterns with artist Dawn Cole to bring with you on Friday 28 November for the turning on of Christmas lights and the start of the Christmas countdown in Margate. Youth gallery takeover Fri 21 and Sun 23 Nov Young people take over the gallery with tours, activities and performances on 23 November, plus they’ll be taking over the @TCMargate Twitter feed with a #whatif Q&A with artist Bob and Roberta Smith, discussing art and politics on 21 November. The Jarman Award Shortlist Sat 22 Nov, 10am-4pm, free, drop in The Jarman Award Touring Programme presents a selection of single screen film works by the 10 artists shortlisted for this year's prestigious Jarman Award: John Akomfrah, Sebastian Buerkner, Laura Buckley, Marvin Gaye Chetwynd, Steven Claydon, Redmond Entwistle, Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard, Ursula Mayer, Rachel Reupke and Stephen Sutcliffe. Clive Wilmer on William Morris and John Ruskin  Thu 27 Nov, 3pm, £6 / £5, cup of tea included with every ticket Author and poet Clive Wilmer, the author of seven books of poetry and professor of English at Cambridge, explores the work of William Morris and John Ruskin and their influence on Victorian society.   Christmas lights switch on Fri 28 Nov, 4 -8pm, free Magical Margate starts the Christmas season with a festive event including carol-singing, music, and late night shopping, culminating in our lights switch on at 6pm. In the gallery, listen to the Big Sing choir singing festive pop music, make festive folk decorations with artist Zoe Murphy and enjoy festive food and drink in our café.

Easy Sunday: Sculpt the Sky Sun 7 Dec and Sun 21 Dec, 1 – 4pm, drop in £3.50 per child/ free for adults, under 3s and families living in CT9 postcode At Sculpt the Sky, bring the outdoors in, creating your own cloud sculptures inspired by artist Edmund de Waal, whose new work atmosphere is on show in our Sunley Gallery until 8 February 2015.     Readymade: Janez Janša, Janez Janša and Janez Janša Thu11 Dec, 6pm, £4 / £3 concessions A presentation and performance by the artist group Janez Janša, Janez Janša and Janez Janša, whose 3 members changed their names to that of the Slovenian Prime Minister, a process documented in their controversial documentary My Name is Janez Janša (2012). Organised in collaboration with UCA Canterbury as part of the exhibition Despite Efficiency: Labour, Herbert Read Gallery, 24 November - 13 December 2014   Easy Sunday:  Folk Art Sun 14 Dec and Sun 28 Dec, 1 – 4pm, drop in £3.50 per child/ free for adults, under 3s and families living in CT9 postcode Jeremy Deller's work in English Magic looks at folk traditions. Create your own images and objects based on your own family traditions.           Art on Screen: Continental Drift Sun 17 Dec, 6pm, £3 / £2 concessions Watch our series of films made by artists. This group screening explores the roles of location, time and memory in our understanding and relationship to urban and rural space. With reference to sociality and nationality, artists reveal a variety of perspectives on territory, landscape and national borders, while others capture the universal languages of geological and man-made terrains.   Easy Bank Holiday: Sculpt the Sky Mon 29 Dec, 1 – 4pm drop in £3.50 per child/ free for adults, under 3s and families living in CT9 postcode Bring the outdoors in, creating your own cloud sculptures inspired by artist Edmund de Waal, whose new work atmosphere is on show in our Sunley Gallery until 8 February 2015.   Easy Holiday: Pottery Wed 31 Dec 2014  and Thu 1 Jan 2015, 1 – 4pm drop in £3.50 per child/ free for adults, under 3s and families living in CT9 postcode Make your own ‘atmospheric’ piece of pottery with Bev Burt and David Melville of the Kent Potters Association. Inspired by Edmund De Waal's atmosphere, on show in our Sunley Gallery until 8 February 2015, your artwork will become part of a collaborative piece.

Easy Sunday: Sculpt the Sky Sun 4 Jan, 1 – 4pm, drop in £3.50 per child/ free for adults, under 3s and families living in CT9 postcode Bring the outdoors in, creating your own cloud sculptures inspired by artist Edmund de Waal, whose new work atmosphere is on show in our Sunley Gallery until 8 February 2015..         Easy Sunday:  Folk Art Sun 11 Jan, 1 – 4pm, drop in £3.50 per child/ free for adults, under 3s and families living in CT9 postcode Jeremy Deller's work in English Magic looks at folk traditions. Create your own images and objects based on your own family traditions.

Free exhibition tours Every Wed, Sat, Sun and bank holiday 11:30am, free Discover more about the exhibition Jeremy Deller: English Magic with a guided tour by our knowledgeable Gallery Assistant. Spotlight talks Every Friday, 11:30am, free Turner Contemporary staff give a personal tour of our exhibition Jeremy Deller: English Magic.              Family workshops Every Sunday, and Wednesday and Thursdays during school holidays £3 per child/free for adults, under 3s and families living in CT9   Craft Club Sat 25 Oct and Sat 29 Nov, 1-4pm, drop in, free Learn and practice different crafts with our friendly makers, including knitting, sewing, crochet, card-making and pegloom weaving.   Full event information can be found on our website at turnercontemporary.org/whatson

The Friends of Ellington Park are holding a public meeting at St Laurence Parish Hall on Friday, 17 October at 7pm. There will be news on the Park’s Heritage Lottery Bid, as well all the latest on the Wildlife Garden and other ongoing projects. There will also be an opportunity for questions and answers, and a referendum on security, in light of the recent arson attack in the children’s play area. Representatives from Thanet Council, Ramsgate Town Council and Kent Police will also be in attendance. Public Meeting

The Friends of Ellington Park are holding a public meeting at St Laurence Parish Hall on Friday, 17 October at 7pm.

There will be news on the Park’s Heritage Lottery Bid, as well all the latest on the Wildlife Garden and other ongoing projects.  There will also be an opportunity for questions and answers, and a referendum on security, in light of the recent arson attack in the children’s play area.

Representatives from Thanet Council, Ramsgate Town Council and Kent Police will also be in attendance.

Cllr Chris Wells

TDC Conservative leader Cllr Bob Bayford has today responded to the news that Broadstairs Councillor Chris Wells has joined UKIP.

‘The defection of Cllr Wells to UKIP is both surprising and disappointing. Surprising because he has not previously indicated any ideological empathy with the right-wing party, and disappointing because he has received considerable support from the Conservative party through his recent financial difficulties.”

Chairman of South Thanet Conservative Association, Lynne Conolly stated: “We were very disappointed that Cllr Chris Wells has defected to UKIP. Over the past three years the Association and his Conservative colleagues have given him huge support during his considerable personal difficulties. Cllr Wells has many strengths - it appears that loyalty isn't one of them.”

Manston airport site sold to new owners

The council has today (Tuesday 23 September) been informed that the Manston Airport site has been bought by regeneration specialists, Trevor Cartner and Chris Musgrave - part of the Discovery Park consortium responsible for developing the Pfizer site in Sandwich.

As part of the news, the council also understands that a new proposal for the site will be suggested – a mixed use scheme which the partnership envisages will create more than 4,000 jobs but would not retain the airport.

The council is already part-way through a process to review whether compulsory purchase of the site is a viable option following a petition presented to the council on 10 July.

The outcome of a soft-market testing exercise to identify suitable indemnity partners to cover all of the associated costs of a CPO will be taken to Cabinet on Thursday 16 October.

The council will then undertake a wider review of the options for the site and as part of this would seek further details from the new site owners to understand more about their proposal.

A report outlining all of the options for the future of the privately-owned site will then be brought to a Full Council meeting for all 56 Councillors to consider.

The council has been clear that a CPO will not go ahead unless there is evidence of the economic viability of the site operating as an airport and a suitable investor identified to cover all of the costs required.

Ramsgate embraces it’s heritage through Heritage Open Days

Ramsgate’s historic buildings are opening this weekend as part of Heritage Open Days (11-14 September). Our events celebrate and open eyes to the stories of architect AWN Pugin, banker and philanthropist Sir Moses Montefiore and Thanet’s oldest church St Laurence.

AWN Pugin, designer of the interior of the Houses of Parliament and of St.Stephen’s Tower (Big Ben) is one of our most illustrious past residents. He lived in Ramsgate for the last 10 years of his life, at the period when he ‘reconfigured’ the concept of the perfect family house. He built his home The Grange and church St Augustine’s next door, which were for him the most important of all that he built in his short but dramatic and impactful life (1812-1852).

The Grange is open Friday 12 to Monday 15 September (10am – 4pm) and Tuesday 16 September (10am – 1pm)  http://www.landmarktrust.org.uk/our-landmarks/properties/grange-3253/      

St Augustine’s Church is open each day (11-14 September) from 10am – 4pm.

There’s also a ‘PUGIN WEEK’ with events including:

Concert with The Victoria Consort on Saturday 13 September (7.30pm)

Midday Sung Mass on Sunday 14 September, the 162^nd anniversary of Pugin’s death at the age of only 40. He is buried in the church.

http://augustinefriends.co.uk/  OR  http://pugin.com/pugchur.htm                

Sir Moses Montefiore arrived in Ramsgate 1831 when he purchased a country estate with 24 acres on the East Cliff of town; the property had previously been a country house of Queen Caroline when she was still Princess of Wales. He lived in Ramsgate until his death in 1885.

Ramsgate Montefiore Synagogue & Mausoleum is open on Sunday 14 September (10am – 3pm)

Sir Moses’ resting place and his family’s private synagogue are open courtesy of the Montefiore Endowment as part of the European Days of Jewish Culture & Heritage.

http://www.ramsgatemontefioreheritage.org.uk

St. Lawrence Church and its Tower is open on Saturday 13 September (10.00 am - 6.00pm). 

During the day there will be:

Tower Tours to view Ramsgate and beyond at 11.00 am, 2.00 pm and 4.00 pm.

Tour of the Grade 1 listed church (12 noon) and open choir practise (3.30 pm)

http://www.achurchnearyou.com/st-laurence-in-thanet-st-laurence/

If you want a day or a weekend out, there’s lots to discover in the town, and special events which show the character of this friendly, busy seaside town. Over the same weekend, one of the most historic streets, which was the town’s shopping centre in the Victorian era, becomes a mass of stalls, entertainment and family fun with the Addington Street Fair on Sunday 14 September from 10am onwards.

For news of what’s on and how to find out more, visit www.ramsgatetown.org or www.visitthanet.co.uk and the town’s facebook page at Ramsgatetown.

Historic moment for Dreamland as refurbishment begins on Britain’s oldest surviving rollercoaster

Work to restore Britain’s oldest surviving rollercoaster to its former glory starts next week marking another significant milestone for Dreamland.
From Monday 15 September, the iconic Grade II* listed Scenic Railway is being lovingly restored by contractors Topbond Plc. Group on behalf of Thanet District Council. 
Workmen will undertake an intricate programme of work to restore the historic structure, ahead of the opening of a re-imagined Dreamland amusement park next year (2015).

Initial work recording the building and structure for historic purposes has already started, but from next week begins in earnest with the dismantling of the buildings and structure on a phased programme - commencing from the motor house moving north.

Restoration will include the replacement of the foundations on which the newly fabricated timber trusses will be erected. Secondary timber structures will then be fixed to the main structure. All the works will systematically follow the scenic in a clockwise direction.

Leader of Thanet District Council Cllr Iris Johnston said, ‘It is very exciting to see work start on Britain’s oldest surviving rollercoaster. The Scenic Railway is synonymous with Dreamland and the Council is very proud to be leading the way, breathing life into Dreamland once again.”

Eddie Kemsley, Project Director at Dreamland, said “This is an important milestone in Dreamland’s history and is symbolic of the enormous achievement of the Dreamland Trust’s ‘Save Dreamland’ campaign. Work on the Scenic Railway is one of many crucial steps in our work towards opening a re-imagined Dreamland”.

During the re-building works, The Dreamland Trust will continue to host an exhibition on Dreamland’s history and future. The Dreamland Expo: a past, present and future, describes the revivial of Dreamland – one of the UK’s best loved amusement parks and has to date welcomed more than 25,000 visitors. The Dreamland Expo is free and open weekends from 10am to 5pm. For more information, please visitwww.dreamlandmargate.com or call 01843 295 887.

Throughout the autumn and winter months, the Arcade will be available for pre-booked school visits, community activities, student projects, research, presentations and tours – for more information please email arcade@dreamlandmargate.co.uk.

Ahead of the anticipated 2015 opening, award-winning designer, Wayne Hemingway MBE, is working to create a unique vintage-style amusement park; with attractions from thrill rides to classic sideshows alongside cafes, restaurants and retail spaces. Once open, the park will play host to large-scale events, national festivals and visiting attractions to celebrate the history of popular British culture, music, film and design.