Ramsgate’s ‘Pride in Place’ celebration and St George’s Day Spring Parade

Issued by Thanet District Council on behalf of the Ramsgate Neighbourhood Board, St George’s Church and the Ramsgate Neighbourhood Board.

On Sunday 19 April, the Ramsgate Neighbourhood Board joined forces with Great British Carnival, St George’s Church, and Polly Billington MP for an inspiring ‘Pride in Place’ celebration. Groups and individuals from across the community took part in a spectacular St George’s Day Spring Parade, featuring handmade dragons, giants, wooden horses, and a community Samba band.

The event was a triumph of inclusivity and creativity and made the whole town smile – helped by the beautiful Spring sunshine which shone all day.

The fourth annual St George’s Spring Parade in Ramsgate has grown each year since it began, as part of a five year programme building up to the 200th anniversary of the beautiful St George’s Church, which is a landmark in the town.

This year the event included an official celebration of the town’s ambitious ‘Pride in Place’ 10-year regeneration programme with a number of projects unveiled which help bring the community’s vision for the town to life.

Many individuals and families in Ramsgate had attended free advance workshops, where all ages and abilities were able to make helmets, swords, shields, hearts, hobby horses, dragons and crowns in St George’s Church – and they all looked wonderful in the parade!

The Parade formed up in the Churchyard from 12 noon on Sunday 19 April after the St George’s Day Church Service at 11am. Paraders and spectators were then entertained by a short traditional mumming play, ‘St George and the Dragon’ and the Parade moved off at 12.30pm. The route went down the pedestrianised High Street to the gates at the bottom of Harbour Street, where the Parade about turned and headed back to the church.

The event was followed by a free community lunch in St George’s Church, leading straight into the celebration of Ramsgate securing ‘Pride in Place Programme’ funding, which is £20m over a 10-year period. The investment is envisaged to be the catalyst for additional funding to help bring about much needed change in the town. It aims to make an impact on the key priorities that Ramsgate has said are important through an extensive engagement exercise conducted in autumn last year. The newly released, community 10-Year Vision was built using the voices of 1,530 residents and 96 local businesses through surveys and 28 listening events across the town. The community vision is built on five big goals for the town:

• Open It Up: Bringing back our town centre and jobs.
• Clean It Up: Creating cleaner, greener streets and restoring civic pride.
• Light It Up: Safer streets, safer lives: policing and access so everyone feels free to move around our town without fear.
• Raise It Up: Investing in our young people and their future.
• Join It Up: Connecting health and support services so no one is left behind.

The church was transformed to showcase the Ramsgate Neighbourhood Board’s ‘Bring It to Life’ creative grants, illustrating the town’s new vision through local eyes. The exhibition featured community art, audio displays, film, and a new magazine produced by local youth, alongside a new community song and performances. Key speakers – including Bernie Morgan (Chair of the Ramsgate Neighbourhood Board), Teresa Askew (Artistic Director of Great British Carnival), and Polly Billington MP – shared their pride in the town and their shared enthusiasm for the Pride in Place programme. The community was invited to meet the Ramsgate Neighbourhood Board and share ideas on how the investment can have the most impact.

After the event on Monday 20 April Teresa Askew has been invited to attend an official St George’s Day reception at 10 Downing Street.

Most of the Bring it to Life project displays will be on show at the church until Tuesday 5 May.

Teresa Askew of Great British Carnival said, “We are delighted to work with St George’s Church again to help create another St George’s Day Spring Parade event for the town. Teaming up with the Ramsgate Neighbourhood Board makes this year even more special as we help celebrate the new Pride in Place vision.

“St George’s Day is celebrated throughout the world. In England, he became a symbol of bravery. In Portugal and Malta, people looked to him for protection. In Lithuania and Ukraine, he is honoured as a strong and protective saint and in Spain, especially in Catalonia, people celebrate him with books and roses every year. In Georgia, his name and story are deeply respected. He stands for courage, kindness and standing up for others. By welcoming all ages, faiths, and backgrounds, we are celebrating St George as a shared emblem of courage, care, and collective belonging for everyone in our town. Across the world, different people chose St George for the same reason, because courage and standing up for others matters everywhere, so we are delighted Ramsgate’s Ukrainian community chose to parade with us this year.”

Bernie Morgan, Chair of the Ramsgate Neighbourhood Board said: “We are thrilled to celebrate Ramsgate’s Vision and Plan alongside such a joyful, community-led event. The Pride in Place Programme funding is all about backing our local community, and by partnering with St George’s Church and GB Carnival, we are demonstrating what active, visible inclusivity can be for our town. We are thrilled that over 250 people came along to enjoy the celebrations, see the amazing ‘Bring it to Life’ creative projects, and talk to us about how we can work together to shape Ramsgate’s future.”

Jemima Brown, Regeneration Officer for St George’s Church said, “Now in year four of Project 200, our 5-year regeneration project, the church and hall continue to be the focus for lots of activity which brings the community together, with the shop and the weekly meal putting St George’s at the heart of the community in the town centre. The primary purpose of Project 200 is to ensure that residents and visitors from all walks of life can enjoy St George’s for multiple uses. We want to throw the doors open wider to people of all faiths and none and this event did just that. We have a beautiful church in the centre of the town and so we are excited to work with GB Carnival again and the Ramsgate Neighbourhood Board to celebrate St George and his special place in our town.”

Cllr Rick Everitt, Leader of Thanet District Council, said: “The incredible turnout for the fourth annual St George’s Spring Parade shows exactly why Ramsgate is so special. Thanet District Council is delighted to support the Ramsgate Neighbourhood Board in delivering the Pride in Place programme. Seeing the fantastic material produced as a result of the ‘Bring It to Life’ creative grants – from youth magazines to community art – is a wonderful first step in our 10-year journey. This £20 million investment will act as a catalyst for much-needed change, focusing on the five big goals our residents have told us matter most.”

For more information on the Ramsgate Neighbourhood Board and Pride in Place Programme, visit: thanet.gov.uk/ramsgate-pride-in-place

The St George’s Day Parade and workshop programme is supported by Canterbury Diocese, Ramsgate Town Council, Ramsgate Neighbourhood Board and Great British Carnival CIC.