A personal note from our Society Chairman, John Walker and a request for help:
I had reason the other day to check the year the Ramsgate Society was formed- which was 1964 – and suddenly realised that this current year 2024 would be our 60th Birthday or Diamond Jubilee.
I discussed this with the Ramsgate Society Committee at our March committee meeting and we all agreed we couldn’t let the occasion pass without marking it in some way. We thought about some of the Society’s achievements in the early years and now more recently and the list began to grow and take on a life of its own. Here are just a few in no particular order:
- The renovation of the 14 seafront shelters
- Introducing the Ramsgate Design Awards
- Launching the Clock House Renovation Project
- Launching the Ramsgate Community Champion Awards
- organising the Van Gogh Summer Event in 2019
- Supporting the Friends of Ellington Park in the early stages of their major renovation project
- Organising the annual Chine to Chine Litter Picks as part of the Keep Britain Tidy Annual Spring Clean
- Planting 50 trees in the Ramsgate Conservation Area to celebrate the Conservation Areas 50th Anniversary
- Playing a leading role in the delivery of the Ramsgate Heritage Action Zone Project.
- Organising and coordinating the annual Thanet Heritage Open Days with support from TDC.
- Organising a series of monthly talks which have become very popular with both Members and the general public.
- Implementing a project of 24 Blue Plaques to celebrate Ramsgate’s connection with some famous names including HRH Princess Victoria, Karl Marx, Charles Darwin, Wilkie Collins, Frank Muir, John Le Mesurier, Frank Muir and others.
- Engaging with statutory consultations around the Local Plan and Corporate
- Participating in the Public Inquiry into the reopening of Manston Airport as a air freight cargo hub.
- Supporting Ramsgate Town Council in the preparation of their Neighbourhood Plan
We realised that the Society had been very active in its first 60 years and the committee agreed to meet again soon to decide how best to celebrate some of our achievements – so watch this space for further news!
N.B. We are at a very early stage on this project and if you have memories of significant past achievements for the Ramsgate Society please share them with us at news@ramsgate-society.org.uk