Photo from thanet online of Tall Ships in Ramsgate for Race of Classics 2009

Ramsgate Society members will know that over the last several months we have been working closely with the Ramsgate Regeneration Alliance to bring a Tall Ships Event to Ramsgate in 2026.

The initial phase of this project was to commission a Feasibility Study from Tall Ships Global who are the leading experts in this field. Thanks to generous support from a number of sponsors, particularly Marc Turnier of Arcvelop, Ramsgate Town Council and Ramsgate resident Graham Birrell, we managed to raise the necessary funds to commission this initial report which was presented by Paul Bishop OBE of Tall Ships Global at a public meeting at the San Clu Hotel on 20th June this year. The report concluded that such an event was indeed feasible in Ramsgate and the response from the large audience present was very positive. There is clearly considerable public support for the Tall Ships coming to Ramsgate to boost the local tourist economy.

The Feasibility Report was then submitted to Thanet District Council (TDC) for discussion as TDC owns the Port and Royal Harbour and this event cannot take place without their support and engagement.

We held a meeting with the Leader of the Council and key Officers on 9th July to discuss the way forward. They were clearly supportive of the idea but had concerns about making any financial commitment to the project in the light of local authority finances at the present time. We understand these concerns, which are being felt nationwide, not just in Thanet, and suggested to TDC that the next step would be to commission a more detailed Viability Report which would provide the necessary financial information and risk assessment that TDC would need to make a decision.

TDC responded to us in a letter dated 23rd August stating that though these events “have the potential to have a long term lasting positive effect on the ports, harbours and towns that host them” they felt unable to proceed until and unless the risks to TDC had been more clearly identified, and declined to contribute towards the cost of the necessary Viability Study required to provide this information

We have attached the initial Feasibility Report here and the exchange of correspondence with TDC here so people can see and understand more clearly the position that has now been reilityached and why. We feel that if TDC were not so constrained financially they would want to host a Tall Ships Event here in Ramsgate so we are currently thinking ahead as to how this might still be possible.

Whilst recognising concerns regarding risk, there is overwhelming evidence over the past fifty years of the financial contribution these events make to the local hosting communities. In Ramsgate’s case, the Feasibility Study estimates the economic benefit to be between £12 million and £14 million over the four days of the even. This suggests that in terms of value for money, this project ranks very highly indeed.

With this in mind we propose seeking the necessary £10,000 (Plus VAT and travel costs) for the Viability Study to address the concerns expressed by TDC.

Earlier this year the previous Conservative Government announced that Ramsgate would receive an additional Grant of £20 million from the Long Term Plan for Towns and we feel this could be a possible initial funding source for the Tall Ships, which would be repaid from the sale of tickets. However, following the General Election in July 2024 TDC are awaiting clarification from the new Labour Administration as to whether the Long Term Plan for Towns will go ahead in the light of the “£22 billion Black Hole” in the Government’s finances which needs to be filled.

The Chancellor of The Exchequer will be unveiling the Government’s first budget on 30th October, so we have decided to wait until then to review the situation. If the Long Term Plan for Towns is retained we hope that this will provide a platform for further discussions with TDC around the Stage 2 Viability Report and we will keep everyone informed as events unfold.

John Walker

Ramsgate Society

Stephen Byrne

Ramsgate Regeneration Alliance