China Gateway Approved

So, there it is then. Approved. But with tough controls to be enforced by Thanet Council. Who, quite frankly, I wouldn't trust them to be able to control their own bowel movements, let alone a project of this scale. Still, at least CGP will be happy. I'm sure I heard a very loud 'Ker-ching!' emanating from just north of Joss Bay!

Click here to read more on Thanet Extra website
Click here to read more on yourfannitinnit website
Click here to read more on Gazunder website
Click here to read more on BBC News website
Click here to see which way your councillor voted

Wind Farm In The Doldrums

I'm getting reports here in the big ECR newsroom suggesting that Thanet Offshore Wind, the company that's building the smaller of the two fart farms proposed in these parts, is putting everything on hold due to the credit crunch.

Just three weeks ago the Uranians trumpeted 'dozens of jobs' after TOW signed a lease on land and buildings in our lovely port here in the Millionaires' Playground. So far one job has been created. Now it seems the winds of change have blown a cold blast over the project's backers and frozen their assets!

Click here to read last month's story in Thanet Extra

Update: One bit of good news, though. I see Thanet Earth is recruiting! Click here to go to their website.

Government Greenlights Airport Expansion

Lumme! They only published their Daft Bastard Plan yesterday! Oh, no, sorry, as you were, it's Stansted that's got the go-ahead. Despite special pleading by RAF London Kent Ramsgate Manston International Airport to be considered as an alternative. I guess that must have fallen on deaf ears. One too many training flights, one assumes!

Click here to read Stansted story on BBC website

Getting All Theatrical

Dear Richard,

I was happily reading your blog this morning, which, I must say, is generally very informed and witty, when I came across both good and bad.....

Firstly, many thanks for mentioning Pierremont Pharmacy's flu' clinic in such detail - we are a local business, set up by two ex-Chatham House boys, and are battling it out with the superpowers of Boots, Superdrug, Paydens and the supermarkets in Broadstairs High Street.

We seem to be going from strength to strength, and have recently been recognised as the leading clinical pharmacy in the country, winning both the "C+D Platinum Design Award" for Service Innovation, and "Clinical Service of the Year" in the C+D Awards 2008, held at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London in June.

On the other hand, one of my other ventures, the Granville Theatre in Ramsgate, was not mentioned in such glowing terms....

To describe the "culture" as a "rolling programme of psychic nights and amdram productions" does little to justify the nearly two years of hard work that my team and I have put in, with no prospect of profit, to try and reinvigorate live entertainment in Ramsgate. In trying financial times, and with the development of a multiplex cinema on our doorstep, we have continued to trade, and have run successful productions of Musical Theatre, Pantomime, Plays and Concerts, including professional acts such as "Kiki Dee", "Over The Rainbow - The Eva Cassidy Story" and "Abbalicious!". We also house productions by notable local companies such as Ramsgate Operatic Society and The Broadstairs Dickens Players, and offer children the opportunity to perform in our Stage Schools and dance classes.

Furthermore, Ralph Hoult, one of my team, is also in the process of trying to relaunch events at the Eastcliff Bandstand for the benefit of the local population.

I don't know whether you have visited our venue recently, but we have made significant investment in refurbishing the formerly run-down premises, including redecoration inside and out, refurbishing the bar and public toilets, and installing disabled facilities. We have also spent large amounts of money on technical theatre, namely high quality sound and lighting.

Seeing as we are a Community venture, owned by more than seventy locals (many of them Ramsgatonians) I am disappointed at your view of our business.

I would like to invite you to visit our venue and see for yourself the progress that has been made since the days of Brian Stout. I would be happy to arrange a tour of the premises for you, to enable you to make more informed judgement about our business.

Kind regards,

Stephen Foster,
Chief Executive,
Granville Theatre Limited

Manston Launches Daft Bastard Plan

Oops, sorry. That should have read 'draft master plan'. Ne'er mind. Presumably Infartil, the airport's owners, imagined they could slip this one under the doormat while we were all distracted with China Gateway. But no, you have to get up very early indeed to catch out an Eastcliff, especially as I'm kept awake all night by knackered old jumbos rattling inches above my bonce!

The summary is, well, er, loads more knackered old jumbos actually. Just what Ramsgate needs! I haven't got the will or energy to read through all 136 pages, but you can download it from the RAF London Kent Ramsgate Manston International Airport website here.

Or, if you want a laugh, you can watch Simon Jones's report for BBC Southeast Today here. Keep your minces peeled for ancient library footage of MK Airlines jumbos taking off (they no longer use the airport since they hit financial turbulence earlier this year), the weeds growing out of the runway, and the total absence of any hard-hitting questions like 'Won't everyone in Ramsgate go deaf and choke on kerosene fumes if this plan goes ahead?'

No Mumms Going To Iceland

Cripes! I see Iceland's going tits up! Not the frozen food store formerly known as Bejam, but the country near the North Pole! Fortunately none of the Eastcliff millions are invested there, otherwise I'd be straight round my old showbiz chum Bjork's, getting her to empty the krona out of her piggy bank.

What is worrying, however, is that Kent County Council has placed 50 million of your hard-earned council tax sponds in banks over there, according to the BBC News website. Nice one geysers! (Geddit?!!!?!)

Knickers On Inside Out

So, did you catch Inside Out - Thanet, Gateway to China? on BBC1 tonight? No, neither did I. But you can watch it by clicking here.

Somehow I can imagine how it went:

Reporter: A lot of people object to this development on environmental grounds.
CGPer: But it will create lots of jobs.
Reporter: Super!

Ho hum. Anyway, tomorrow night sees the Big Council Meeting to decide on CGP's application. Doors open at 5.30pm, with the bunfight kicking off at 6pm. Seating for the oiks will be on a first come, first served basis. As there's only room for 42 public bums on seats, with another 25 clustered around a telly relaying the action to another room, I suspect most people will have to make do with standing around outside awaiting the black or white smoke. All I can say is good luck, and may your God go with you!

A Shot In The Arm For Thanet

Reader Doc Atherton writes:

Hello sir! First off, as ever I'm enjoying the blog! And second, thanks for joining my Pierremont Pharmacy Group. It may be in Broadstairs but there's an East Cliffer at the helm!

Would it be possible for you to put something on your blog about flu? It's very sad but most GP's in Thanet will only give the flu jab to high risk patients and only after they've done them (and only if they have any vaccines left over) will they offer healthy patients the flu jab.

The thing is, it's the healthy people who get around more that carry the virus around with them and it's these people who get annoyed as they are the ones who usually end up with flu because they haven't been able to get a flu jab. So we are offering a Flu Clinic so these people can actually get one!

Now I know that we're in Broadstairs but we are an independent local business in Thanet up against people like Boots etc. Actually, I don't think Boots are offering the vaccine. There's only one independent pharmacy in Ramsgate (Newington) and they're not doing it.

I know a lot of people read your blog so it would be really nice if you could let the people of Thanet know that there IS something they can do about it. Also, as readers of ECR they can get 10% off the usual price of £14.99 by going to this link: http://www.pierremontpharmacy.com/OFFER.html

Chas 'N' Dave 'N' Eminem

So, did you know that Chas 'n' Dave of Margate fame were sampled by Eminem? Nope, neither did I!

Click here to see how Chas 'n' Dave were sampled by Eminem

Ken Wills - The Gift That Keeps On Giving!

I'm indebted to one of my spies who's spotted that our local squillionaire Ken Wills, he of CGP/China Gateway fame, just doesn't seem to be able to stop handing over his dosh to good causes at the moment!

As well as 25,000 sponds to the Thanet South Labourites, and a rumoured £12,500 mazoulians from CGP for Margate's Big Event, it would appear Our Ken has just handed over a cool ton to Councillor Shirley Tomlinson's British Heart Foundation appeal. Of course, KW has every right to spend his dosh however he pleases, and nobody's suggesting there's anything untoward going on here. Shirl's appeal is for a splendid cause, and is inspired by the excellent help hubby Mick 'Mr Margate' Tomlinson received when he had a cardiac arrest back in February. Curious, though, that Ken should be handing out his hard-earned to such disparate local causes - a Tory council, a Labour MP, and a charity appeal run by a Conservative councillor who admires Maggie Thatcher and wants to bring back national service!

And one can't help wondering, what with the Big Council Meeting to decide on planning permission for China Gate coming up this Thursday, whether Mr Wills has distributed his largesse in such a seemingly random fashion elsewhere on the island?

Click here to visit Shirley Tomlinson's BHF appeal site

Update: The Gazunder is now running the full SP on Ken's largesse here.

New Kid On The Blog

I see that someone has very bravely started a blog called Margate Leisure. Sponsored by Bryant and May and Primark no doubt. Actually, although the blogspot address is Margate Leisure, the blog itself is called Thanet Leisure. And it seems as if the writer comes from 'Rmasgate'. Cripes.

Still, I wish him/her all the best of British. They've even got a scoop of sorts to kick start their scribblings - news that the former Yates Wine Bar in Cecil Square is due to re-open before Christmas under the Riley banner. Whatever that is.

Click here to visit Margate Leisure

Update: Margate Leisure has now decided to change his/her blog address to Thanet Leisure, so we can now all refer to it as Thanet Leisure. I think. I'm assured, though, that he/she has nothing to do with the dreaded Thanet Leisure Force, who 'look after', amongst other things, the Mike and Bernie Winter Gardens. Phew, I'm glad we got that cleared up!

Before They Were Famous 3

Before I lay the old noddle on the Cumfilux Hungarian goose down pillow, I suppose I have to put you out of your misery and reveal that my second famous Thanetian (see post below) was none other than Ramsgate's campaigning biblio-bloke Michael Child. Although most of you seem to have got there under your own steam. I expect it was the shirt that gave it away. Sweet dreams!

Before They Were Famous 2

Drat! Most of you seemed to know who that last one was. Of course, none other than our very own Sir Roger Gale, the Blue Rinser for Thanet North:

Roger was a DJ on Radio Caroline in the 60s, where his theme tune was A Walk in the Black Forest. Later he produced Radio 1's Newsbeat, ITV's Magpie and the Today Programme on Radio 4. Now, here's another starter for ten. I'm so confident this time, I'm going to open a book on it:

Before They Were Famous

Yikes! I was prowling the internet just now for prominent Thanetians who might look like old lesbians (see post below), when I came across this dashing young dude!

This publicity shot for a pirate radio station was taken more than 40 years ago, since when he's risen to become one of our best known, er, windy politicians. Can you tell who it is yet?

Finger In The Dyke?

Regular contributor Mr Dickens of Broadstairs writes:

Your recent picture of the Major Domo of Ramsgate in waiting reminded me of one of my favourite esoteric websites - menwholooklikeoldlesbians.blogspot.com.

I think he could qualify as a mature rug muncher. Do we have any more Thanet celebrities who might make the grade?

PS: You really must stop your middle class jibes about Broadstairs. I would go on longer but I have to put Flavia and Hugo to bed, varnish the Morris Traveller, compose a Haiku for the Broadie, and still catch the last part of Tess of the D'Urbivilles (volume down whilst I read from the original Hardy).

Click here to visit Men Who Look Like Old Lesbians

Spend One's Sovs

The 'feeble and pathetic team' (see comment on post below) are firing on all one cylinder here at the old cliff top mansion!

With the RNLI launching their SOS fundraising initiative this week, and with their lifeboat moneybox rapidly disappearing under a freak wave of Haribo and other sticky crap down at the local Costcutter, the 'team' have come up with a plan to help keep them, er, afloat. I've popped another of my 7 day polls in the sidebar on the right, but this time, for every vote in the appropriate box, I'll donate 25p of my hard-earned to the brave chaps in the orange and blue duck.

So whaddya waiting for? Get clicking!

Click here to read more about the RNLI SOS Day or donate direct

Mr Gateway Goes West

My spies over on the seedy north side of the island report that Paul Moore, the senior council officer who was largely responsible for bringing you the Margate Gateway/Library thingo, has finally left the council building to take up a new position further up the M2.

So successful was Mr Moore's inspired yet unusual combination of benefits and books that I hear he's now helping out my old culinary chum Heston with recipes that include sausages and custard, sticky fishy pudding and, my personal favourite, strawberry and Marmite compote!

Beeb To Tackle China Gate

I see next Wednesday's edition of the BBC's local news magazine Inside Out will be tackling China Gate - the day before the big council meeting to decide on planning permission. From what I've heard, roving reporter Glenn Campbell will be taking a more robust look at the proposed development than his previous effort, and the show will include a no holds barred interview with CGP boss, squillionnaire Ken Wills.

Expect: More empty promises of jobs by CGP, councillors and MPs.
Do not expect: The entire report to be set to the tune of 'Rhinestone Cowboy'.

Westgate Pavilion Saved For The Nation

Hurrah! Regular ECR contributor Kevin Crace reports that the Ts have now been crossed and the Is dotted on his takeover of the Westgate Shed, er, Pavilion over on the north side.

Kevin, a Ramsgatonian and Thanetian Returnee whose background is in the upper echelons of the music industry, has big plans for the Pav, and wants to bring top London acts down to play at the venue, as well as continue its community role. He's also promised to, how shall I put it, tart the place up a bit. Not before time, methinks.

Our Kev clearly has the best of intentions for the venue, and I know him to be a man of considerable drive, integrity and ideas. Which he has amply demonstrated by offering me a free back stage pass, and a chance to stage 'An Evening With Eastcliff Richard' at the joint! Good on yer Kev!

Ramsgate Front Page News

As is only appropriate for the island's premier town, the Millionaires' Playground has been splashed on the front pages of two of the local tabloids in the past 24 hours!

First Ramsgate Firster Gerry O'Donnell, aka Family Guy, adorns the front of the Thanet Times, looking for all the world like the man who is going to cost us all half a million smackeroonies, that being the amount touted for running Ramsgate's new teeny-tiny council which is being set up next year. Hmmm. Not sure whether Our Jezza will be too happy with that!

And the excellent yourfannit (available free in the corner of all your favourite local stores, usually behind the twelve boxes of Haribo etc.) tells the tale of another prominent Ramsgatonian, Tim Garbutt, who has apparently spent time in the clink after a rather bizarre argument over his company's name, and a refusal to pay court costs. Tim's wife runs the world famous Surin Thai restaurant on Harbour Street. Who knows, now that he's got a taste for it, perhaps they'll be putting porridge on the menu!

Click here to read Ramsgate Town Council story in Thanet Times
Click here to read Tim Garbutt story in yourfannitinnit