Kite photos

What a brilliant event, just the sort of thing needed to put Margate back on Map. As always there are the usual fairground rides as well as few traders to compliment the event.

I thought I’d have lunch at one of the seafronts eateries after waiting 20 minutes having been assured that I could order at the table no attempt to serve or explain was made.

Its almost reassuring that traditional British service is still available even when your charging 1.80 to 3.00 for a bottle of water during the worst recession ever, I thought the “we’re doing you a favour” style of service had long vanished, clearly not.

Its one thing expecting local authorities to step up to the challenge of improving the attractiveness of the area but its clear some traders ought to appreciate that customers have a choice and having a pretentious menu doesn’t excuse ignoring customers.

My top tip for restaurateurs is if you can’t provide a service just explain to your customers and they’ll understand and come back, its also worth remembering that winters are quite long in these parts.

For outsiders this may well have been an aberration, most restaurants & cafes in these parts offer pleasant and helpful service.

A suggestion for the weekend

The sun looks likely to shine on Gods own seaside resort, so make the most of it and head for Margate.

In addition to the Jazz Fest may I suggest you take a gander at the Tudor House open this weekend (see here thanks Margate Architecture) , also Drapers Mill Windmill I believe will be open on Sunday 2pm till 4.

Another suggestion would be for those who fancy a walk would be to use St. Peters Footpath which has been tidied up since I last travelled down it a year back, and its currently not necessary to take a machete with you either. Also its part of the Turner & Dickens Walk, still I took my bike.

THANET PRIDE THIS SATURDAY

It's good to see that the Thanet Pride, will once again be entertaining visitors and locals, taking place on Marine Drive, Margate, this Saturday in addition to funding from Thanet District Council, it's pleasing to see that the lottery fund, have given a grant of £6000 to the organisers. And it's nice to know that once in awhile lottery money turns up here in the Isle Of Thanet, rather than just going to expensive and hideous art projects.

Just looking at the acts appearing it seems that the organisers have secured quality entertainment including eurovision stars Bucks Fizz, this event improves every year, and will probably bring more money into Margate than say the big event which is staged in the commercial wilderness of palm bay cliffs.

Hopefully visitors to the area will be taking the opportunity to squander vast amounts of cash in the hotel's pubs cafes restaurants shops and galleries in the vicinity, Margate needs more events like this which actually draw people into the town centre, perhaps Margate regeneration industry can help attract more events like this to improve visitor numbers.

Any how for more details click here for the Thanet Pride website.

Margate’s Big Event

Margate’s Big Event is almost upon us, I just wonder whether this will be the last, since as I understand some of the funding has in the past come from CGP.

CGP will have had their fate, determined by next summer, one assumes, since by then KCC & Thanet council will have either sold the additional land they require, for the China Gateway site or not and additional planning permissions will have been determined.

Still this weekend we should enjoy The Big Event, lets be honest when did Thanet council do anything that improved the lot of us proles, its like having a bone thrown from the top table by Thanet’s top knobs just to distract us.

So look to the sky this weekend and ignore some of the big deals, hideous planning decisions and practices of recent times, like that development in Ramsgate which overlooks nearby residents, TDC forgot to tell residents the plans have changed, scan back through the excellent Thanet Strife for more anomalies.

Thanet has little to recommend itself to the visitor, remember those crocodile tears when the Scenic Railway burnt down, well times a great healer and most of us have forgotten. Still if you happen to be a developer Thanet is the place where your dreams can come true.

Anyway enjoy the Big Event and just one final point why is it held in the commercial wilderness of Palm Bay, why not hold the event around the harbour so that local business could benefit.

Theatre Royal Dreamland

I mentioned this a while back, but its worth reminding you particularly if you watched the apprentice, which presented our town in fairly stark detail since you may well feel Margate has nothing to offer which isn’t strictly true.

A theatre production company will be performing at that remaining Margate gem the Theatre Royal, three plays which connect to the Dreamland theme and Margate itself.

The best news is that tickets are free and at the end of the evening the audience will be asked to give their view as to which of the short plays is worthy of further development.

The performance is Sunday 24 May @ 7:30pm and tickets are FREE ! 0845 130 1786

Net Curtains Website