Fantastic meeting for the Countess of Huntingdon's Zion Chapel Burial Ground

The meeting on Wednesday the 24th went extremely well. Fantastic turn out from a wide range of the community. There was very good support for the taking forwards of the setting up of a Friends Group to preserve and respectfully develop activities within the site.

A discussion group has been set up to facilitate the sharing of information and as an online archive resource for photos and documents relating to the site. If you are interested in joining request an invitation via the site here.

Another meeting will be held in a couple of weeks time.

Here are some more archive photos of the former chapel:

Tom Thumb Theatre presents The Biscuit Chronicles

New at our fave bijou theatre establishment, The Tom Thumb Theatre presents The Biscuit Chronicles by Amy Godfrey from the 25th-27th March, 7.30pm. Tickets cost £7/5

Ditch the diet and indulge in high quality humour as Amy Godfrey bares teeth and thighs in a racy, raucous one-woman show. Through her crew of characters she unwraps the fat, devouring everything you knew in protest and celebration of a big girl in a small world. Warning: May contain nuts.

Age 14+ (marginal nakedness and naughty words).

TO BOOK YOUR TICKET
call: 01843 221 791
e-mail: tickets@tomthumbtheatre.co.uk

Tom Thumb Theatre, 2A Eastern Esplanade, Margate, CT9 2LB

O Dreamland

Found on a blog by a recent visitor to our beautiful isle. Has a link to a very strange film re Dreamland where torture seems to be the entertainment for children!


O Dreamland
Uploaded by zohilof. - Classic TV and last night's shows, online.

Janet Street Porter doesn't like Thanet Earth

Picked up on jolly ECR earlier. I have to say I wonder myself why Thanet Earth is lighting up the hillside day and night looking not dissimilar to a steel works in the distance. Nice post, ECR:
http://eastcliffrichard.blogspot.com/2010/03/janet-sinks-her-teeth-into-thanet-earth.html

Catch Tom Hodgkinson of The Idler Magazine and his ukulele

Tom Hodgkinson of “The Idler” magazine will give us a taster of the ukulele concert he’ll be giving in Whitstable on Weds 24th.

Thursday 25th at The Harbour Cafe, (15 The Parade, Margate)
12.30 (for a couple of hours until he runs out of steam!).

Public Meeting for the Countess of Huntingdon's Zion Burial Ground

A public meeting to discuss the future of The Countess of Huntingdon's Zion Chapel Burial Ground will be held at Holy Trinity and St John's School, in Margate.

The meeting will take place from 6pm until 7pm on Weds March 24th.

Everyone is welcome to attend. Parking is available on site.

A poster is available to download in PDF format 2473MB and word .doc

Previous post on the cemetery are here:
http://margatearchitecture.blogspot.com/2009/06/former-countess-of-huntingdons.html

Tom Thumb Theatre Presents - Twice Brightly

hot off the press from those lovely folks at one of the smallest theatres in the world: The Tom Thumb Theatre in Cliftonville.

"TWICE BRIGHTLY"; A Musical, Magical, anthology of the days of the Variety Theatres!

This delightful theatre, recently reopened, is the ideal venue for this show, packed with song, comedy, magic, and anecdotes, for two performances only on Wednesday 17th March 2010. All round entertainer GORDON CLARKSON hosts the show paying tribute to veteran Stars of yesteryear who brought happiness to thousands of people up and down the country in twice nightly variety.

Fond memories will be rekindled of Flanagan and Allen, Frankie Vaughn, Robb Wilton, George Formby, and of course, Max Miller among many other items.

You will get a chance to join in with your favourite songs, and hear backstage stories of touring, terrible "digs" and lots more!

Gordon is joined by top class stage magician CLYDE CLAYTON, who is a living history book of the "Speciality" acts of variety, and will perform classic tricks in the style of the great magicians, in particular, the "Chinese Rings" linking trick! Clyde is one of the very few magicians nowadays who attempt the trick in it's original format; linking no less than an incredible 16 rings! No mean feat in any theatre, but especially problematical on the smallest stage in Britain!
Providing live music support throughout the show is pianist Paul Stewart.

There is a matinee at 2.30pm and an evening performance at 7.30pm.
Tickets are a reasonable £8.00.
Advance booking is recommended, and tickets may be booked in advance at the theatre on Eastern Esplanade, or by using the the Freephone booking number 0800 7813452.

Margate's finest florist in drag and in the news

Gawd bless Thomas Reeves. We love Flower Lab and even more now he's in drag for mother's day. So, what you getting your mum for Sunday?

April Fools' screening of film awards 2 Days Laughter

Those nice folks at Margate's own Beeping Bush are once again about to hit the red carpet with the 2010 edition of their film awards screening night at The Theatre Royal Margate on Saturday the 27th of March.

The team behind the incredibly successful 2 Days Later Short Film Competition are setting their sights once again on making audiences scream with laughter with The 2 Days Laughter Short Film Competition. The event, now in its third year, aims to give filmmakers, comedians and writers the opportunity to produce a comedy short in a total of only 48 hours. Showcased to a public audience, and competing for prizes, judged by a panel of film and media & entertainment industry professionals, that include Time Out’s comedy editor Tim Arthur, television and radio comedy writer Jon Holmes and University of Kent’s Dr Oliver Double.

With over 500 downloads for this year’s competition brief, the competition received 25 film entries from all over UK. 11 comic entries are from Kent –based filmmakers, and 4 have made it to the Judges’ Competition Screening, to face stiff international humorous competition from as far away as Swansea, Sheffield and Switzerland!

“We have had a great response to this year’s competition and the standard is as high as ever, with some real belly chuckles thrown in there. It’s going to be great free night out at the theatre; and It's a rare opportunity for comedians, filmmakers and the public to all come together and actually see how an audience will react to their own creativity, in a friendly and relaxed atmosphere."

MICK ETHERTON, BEEPING BUSH PRODUCTIONS

4 films were entered from Thanet, with Ramsgate based filmmaker Nick Johnson’s hilarious “Love Letters”, making the final Judges’ Competition Screening, with a weary comic tale of lust, love and videotape!

Equestrian film finalist Edward Hancock & David Dickinson came down from North London to Margate beach to film “Mick: an ex-Police Horse,” that depicts the hilarious antics of an ex-Police horse’s retirement years living by the sea..

Other films screening include Canterbury based filmmaker Philip Benedict ‘s fantastically dry - 3 Dimensional - parody of a 1960’s classic Canterbury Tourist Information film - “Visit Canterbury in 3D! “

Canterbury filmmaker Przemek Konieczny, has produced “Left Handed”, a lovely comic vignette into the minds of a married couple, unknowingly nearing the end of their relationship.

Edenbridge filmmaker’s Aaron Mercer and Mark Slaughter film “The Bizarre Friendship of Tom & Carl “ proves that bizarre isn’t always bad.

Just when thought it was safe to use a cliché, Chatham based comic dynamic duo, William Thomas & Ben Worsfield have once again come up with a refreshing fast paced post-modern powerhouse cliché slasher movie entitled “The Which Film Project”

ALL 25 film submissions will be shown at the April Fools' Screening on Saturday 27th March 2010 at the Theatre Royal Margate, and hosted by stand-up comedian Laura Lexx www.lauralexx.co.uk

To get a flavour of the competition why not check out last year's entries and short documentary of the Screening night.

2 Days Laughter 2010 Screening & Awards Night

6.30pm Doors Open
7.00pm Welcome
7.15pm Just for Laughs - Film Screening
8.40pm Judges’ Competition - Film Screening
10.00pm Awards Ceremony
10.30pm - Late Afterparty @ The Westcoast Bar, Margate Harbour (www.westcoastlive.co.uk)

Further details will be posted on the www.2dayslaughter.co.uk website.

To book your free tickets please fill in online request at www.2dayslaughter.co.uk/screen/screen.html

About Beeping Bush Ltd www.beepingbush.co.uk

Beeping Bush Ltd is a pioneering (Industrial and Provident status) digital arts & media organisation and is a Screen South Community Network Film Delivery Partner for Kent & Medway, supported by The UK Film Council.

Based in The Community Pharmacy Gallery in the heart of Margate’s historic old town cultural quarter, since 2002. The ground floor offers workshop, studio & arts exhibition space for local individuals and community interest groups, with full disabled access. The production services above offer professional digital-media services & training for the community and business. The company produces a variety of community and corporate based, educational and promotional digital-media productions & workshops; and provides vocational training and arts exhibition space for local individuals, organisations, charities, and educational establishments.

Things are happening at Cliff Terrace

Since we reported of the sorry state of the two year renovation at Cliff Terrace a s few weeks ago, things have started moving again. There were utilities vans with the road dug up in front and now a huge vinyl banner has been unfurled advertising 2 bed luxury apartments for rent with a mobile phone number.

Whilst we were interested, we also called the estate agent advertising the flats for sale. They reported that there was only minor snagging works to be undertaken but that the flats were for sale. They were unsure what leases were available though.

Do these look like finished luxury flats to you?

The new paintwork is already flaking and it's not yet occuppied. Well done No Use Empty scheme.

Spa London

Looking at another area which has historically had problems with deprivation, the opening of The Spa at the turkish baths in Bethnal green is really interesting. It's a collaboration between the council and a none for profit company GLL. Their mission statement is pretty self explanatory. Interesting? Wonder what we can do with the Lido?

http://www.spa-london.org/mainpage.asp?id=57

See this: Something for the Weekend - Quadrophenia Film Screening, April 3rd, Carlton Cinema Westgate-on-Sea

What a great idea! Dreamland Margate present for one day only a screening of the cult classic Quadrophenia at the lovely Carlton Cinema in Westgate-on-Sea on April 3rd. Tickets are £12 and are likely to sell out fast. Call the cinema on 01843 832019 for info.