Many members will already know that back in 2011/12 the Ramsgate Society restored the 14 Listed seafront shelters with a grant of £450,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund. At that time the Society was granted a 12-year lease on the shelters by Thanet District Council, who own the asset, with an obligation to maintain the shelters in good condition.

That lease expired in May 2023 and our many attempts to get TDC to renew the lease have resulted in no action from TDC. Despite this the Society has joined forces with Ramsgate Town Council, who value the shelters as much as we do, and together we have continued to maintain the shelters without any formal arrangement with TDC.

From May to September this year we have been “prepping” the 4 large shelters on the Westcliff. The Society has paid for all the necessary specialist paint and the work has been undertaken by a team of brilliant volunteers organised by Maxine Morgan at Ramsgate Town Council.

The plan is to regroup in the Spring and to apply the final finish to all 4 shelters by the end of September which will restore them to pristine condition for the local community to enjoy.

During the year the Society also maintained the other 10 smaller shelters along the East Cliff, Nelson Crescent and the Paragaon thanks to the tireless work and enthusiasm of our Vice President Davena Green together with a dedicated group of volunteers including several Ramsgate Town Councillors.

I would like to thank Ramsgate Town Council and particularly their Technical Manager Maxine Morgan who is responsible for Projects and Community Engagement whose help and support has been invaluable.

We will keep you updated as the work progresses.

John Walker, Ramsgate Society Chair