Broadstairs life - its people, its places and its charm

This is a special edition after the events that took place over the Bank Holiday Weekend

FYI some of the comments were converted but not changed from the original submitted text into the spoken word. This is confirmed during the Podcast at which point this takes place. Thank you

Let's remember Broadstairs is a quintessential, charming coastal town located on the Isle of Thanet in East Kent, England. Affectionately nicknamed the "Jewel in Thanet's Crown," it beautifully preserves a nostalgic, Victorian-era seaside atmosphere while fostering a thriving contemporary food, shopping, and arts scene. Nestled between the coastal hubs of Margate and Ramsgate, the town is renowned for its spectacular chalk cliffs, a necklace of sandy bays, and strong historic ties to literary giant Charles Dickens.

As we all know Broadstairs did not have such a great weekend. Families, visitors and local residents were all geared up for a fantastic weekend in the sun. The beaches were packed local restaurants, pubs and cafes were all geared up for a great time. However a very small minority were encouraged by social media as has happened before to descend on our town. But it was for all the wrong reasons. Fuelled with drink and walking our streets in beach wear and stealing from local shops they caused havoc stealing alcohol and other items and in the end forcing local business to close. But this was not just unique to Broadstairs many coastal resorts across the country suffered the same problem. So here you can listen to our local community tell you why Broadstairs is not like this all the time, it's a fantastic place to visit and enjoy. I thank you all for taking part.

OUR HISTORY

Aspley House Bowls Club was set up by Dr Brightman (Broadstairs Council chairman) during WW1. In 1917 the rinks were laid out in his back garden, facing what is now Lawn Road. They were mainly used by returning servicemen at the end of the war.

When Dan Mason gifted the Recreation Ground to the town in 1921 by way of his personal thanks to the troops, he set up a bowling green in the grounds (now the present Broadstairs & St Peters Bowls Club), closing not only his personal double bowling rink in Pierremont Park, but also the Apsley House Bowls Club.

A BIG CELEBRATION

In 2016 we celebrated our centenary year. To mark the occasion, we organised several exciting games and visits, one being to play the Royal Household in Windsor. It was a perfect way to mark our incredibly special year. We then played host to the Royal household in a return match and it was a wonderful day.

Thinking of Joining?

If you are looking for good company, gentle exercise, friendship and maybe some competition in the heart of beautiful Broadstairs, then why not come and join us at Broadstairs & St Peter's Bowls Club.

[email protected]

https://broadstairsandstpetersbowls.uk

Vicky who has been at the centre for 25 years tells us about the amazing work this centre does to give anybody with a disability to ride and interact with their horses.

Thanet Disabled Riding Centre is an independent, nonprofit organisation located in Broadstairs. With the fantastic support from our team of volunteers, we can cater to 40 riders a week. The Centre has now been running for 47 years and is currently home to four ponies. Three of whom are in full time work and our other one is a 34 year old, retired, tea drinking Shetland! We are a full time charity which takes £150 per day to run, so we appreciate any support we receive.

Our Story

TDRC was established in 1974 on a small yard in Thanet, Kent. (up until 2004 the centre was affiliated with the RDA) This was soon taken over by Nora Setterfield and Rowena Young a few months later due to a threat of the centre closing down. This led to Nora and Rowena having to find another plot of land to restart the charity.

They came across a riding school called Bromstone. This allowed the centre to use the riding school ponies, they continued this set up, unfortunately, the riding school closed down a few years later. So the hunt was on to find another home. They soon found a plot of land in Fairfield. Due to a lack of stables and an influx of riders, a pony bed and breakfast was created.

This is where owners would kindly allow the centre to keep their ponies every weekend, where they would be stabled and fed, in return for riding use. Nora was soon able to cut down on the amount of bed and breakfast ponies due to being donated working ponies that the centre could use.

After a few months, the council decided to sell the land for development, so Nora and Rowena had to, yet again move the centre. They were lucky to have supportive councillors who waited until they were settled in a new home to sell the land.

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Nora and Rowena found a quiet plot of land in the grounds of Maurice house (the British Legion) in 1985. This has since become the centres permanent home. The pair had a massive task on their hands to clear the trees and level the ground to make a safe home for the centres ponies. Nora says “anyone who popped their head over the wall to be nosy, got a job. The whole community pulled together to help us get started”. Before long the centre was deemed safe for riding. With six pony-sized stables constructed, a tack room/tea room and a feed room were installed.

The centre then started with only 2 ponies, Rusty and Paddy. So bed and breakfast continued until 2 more centre ponies were bought, Sunny, and Blaze. So bed and breakfast was stopped.

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The centres most well known possession is a 34-year-old, tea drinking devil Shetland named Smartie. Bought by the centre at age 4, she would take on a ridden career for Nora’s baby clinic on a Friday morning. Unfortunately, smartie found it more amusing to kick volunteers and watch them run away, than actually be ridden. Her favourite activity was chasing people through fences. And throwing a tantrum if she didn’t get her morning cup of tea. To make matters worse, Smartie was petrified of games so Nora broke Smartie in to drive, and she loved it!

Thanet Disabled Riding Centre,Callis Court RoadBROADSTAIRS, CT10 3AH

https://www.disabledridingcentre.com

In this episode Jim talks about the history of the Ukulele and how he loves teaching others .

I'm Jim Moran and I've been teaching ukulele to beginners and intermediate students for quite a few years. I'm a qualified teacher in schools and colleges and my experience includes starting a successful ukulele club in a special school that I worked in. Courses have been run for clients including Ageless Thanet, Live Better in the Community, Age UK and Neptune Co-Working Hub.

To get in touch with Jim visit his website https://www.jimbiz.co.uk

Peter Shaw gives us an insight into the history of the Crampton Tower Museum. A fascinating small museum is partly housed in a flint tower adjacent to the Broadstairs Railway Station. The tower formed part of the first Broadstairs public water supply and was put in repair by Thanet District Council.

Thomas Russell Crampton is perhaps chiefly remembered as a designer of locomotives and of railways, but he was also concerned with gas, water works and the submarine telegraph cable. He was the first to succeed in laying an effective telegraph cable under the English Channel.

Kent's History is varied and rich. Everything is here to explore, from the pre-historic right up to the tumultuous times of the 20th century. The Kent coast enjoys a fantastic heritage and the richest font of Kent History is the Isle of Thanet which is said by some to be The Birthplace of England.

Crampton Tower Museum, situated in Thanet, celebrates local history with its collection of early prints and paintings. However, as Broadstairs is only a part of our glorious isle, the whole of Thanet is embraced by our team of historians.

Apart from a varied collection of historical artefacts, the Museum is an effective link to other collections, history walkers and nearby sites of interest.

Peter Shaw, Chairman

https://www.cramptontower.co.uk/about

Mitchell brings us a fascinating insight into the world of a dog behaviourist & trainer.

I've spent the last 26 years volunteering at 3 animal santuaries doing 4500 hours and rehomed and rehabilitated over 1100 dogs...and studied widely on what helps Dogs feel calm and balanced

I now work self employed as a dog behaviourist. I work one to one and come to you. I work through my vet and personal recommendation. I have a diploma in canine psychology. I can help with any issues and change any behaviour to calm whether it's reactivity, pulling , barking etc. These behaviours aren't the dogs character and they want to change and be calmer.

I also do one to one puppy training.

My main interest is how dogs think and how to help them to feel calm and secure through your guidance. I have helped 7 of my own troubled rescue dogs too.

I also genuinely keep costs down and make it easily affordable because I want to help dogs be happier. I hope the 4500 hours of volunteering proves my integrity.

You can contact Mitch and see so many positive comments about his skill from previous clients via his facebook page https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100072533349451&sk=about

For the past 220 years or so the church has worshipped on its current site. Older people in the community will remember it being called Salem but for the past 20 years it has been known simply as The Baptist Church, St Peters. There have been many ups and downs. At one time the church had to move off-site following a break-in and a fire. Our neighbours in the St Peter’s Parish church next door kindly let us use their community hall for our worship gathering on a Sunday morning. Following a time of growth at the end of the 1990’s and beginning of the 2000’s the church went through many struggles and following a few years of decline we had to approach our Baptist friends down at the Queens Road Baptist Church, Broadstairs, for some support in 2014.

Now we host many community events which include social gatherings our food bank ,the Local wellbeing choir to name but a few .

Many of us see the Community Payback team working here in Broadstairs. On this podcast you will listen Danny speak about his passion for this service and what makes it work and how it helps those involved.

Supervised by veteran Danny Ward, the Community Payback Team has spent the years revitalising Broadstairs. This partnership between the Town Council and the Tourism & Leisure Association allows offenders to serve their sentences by improving the local environment.

The impact is twofold: the town gets high-quality labor—like the recent refurbishment of emotional memorial benches—and the participants gain life-changing skills. For many young people in the program, the "thank you's" they receive from the public provide a rare and powerful boost to their self-esteem, proving that hard work and community pride go hand-in-hand.

Nominate a Community Payback project via this link as Danny spoke about in his podcast with me

https://www.gov.uk/nominate-community-payback-project

This alehouse features Kentish ales, ciders and others from further afield, including craft keg beers. The beer and cider loving owners are also passionate about live music and hold monthly jam sessions as well as organising the Broadstairs Jazz Festival. A central beer bottle chandelier and large picture windows flood light across comfortable spaces for friends, family and couples, dog friendly too. The Magnet is named after the boys periodical that featured Billy Bunter, whose creator was a local resident.

For full details of events etc visit TheMagnet Facebook page via this link https://www.facebook.com/TheMagnetMicropub

It's time to meet our host Dean who along with Elizebeth were busy handing out flyers for the market today 12th April. Here at Bleak House we meet many of those who set up their stalls on what was a very windy day. They are there to sell and promote local food and products at the historic Bleak House in its beautiful garden overlooking VikingBay. Today we chat with many of these here at Bleak House for what has become a regular event in the gardens. Enjoy..

The next Farmers Markets will be on 10th May, 13th & 14th June for the Dickens Festival and 12th July.... More information ifor other dates are available by visiting this website https://www.havishamandcratchit.co.uk/farmers-market

Stall holders who took part today are Rainahs Dogs,The Private Kitchen,The Meadow market, Pitchers Preservers, Big Mikes Smoke HouseBun in the Oven Bakery,Chai Waller Teas, Margate Mushrooms, Molly Pickle, Naughty & Nice Nougat, Chloe's Fudgey Fancies & The Grain Grocer and many more who I sadly could not speak too as they were very busy.