I first met Graham Twyman when I was Mayor of Ramsgate in 2014. He turned up at all events going for the benefit of Ramsgate. I saw him many times giving four to six bottles of wine for Raffle Prizes at events he had attended, then he bought lots of Raffle tickets and gave back prizes if his tickets won anything.
As Mayor, I took advice from a previous Mayor, Jackie Coppock, and picked up on her Mayor’s Certificates for people who had helped the community. I instigated a Mayor’s Certificate and the first person I gave one to was Graham Twyman.
Graham came to the Mayor’s Parlour and was presented with his Certificate with myself as Mayor and Town Sergeant in all their resplendent glory with photographs as a keepsake for this day.
Some years later Graham told me he was coming up to 60 years of fund raising for charities. He started at 10 years old chopping wood and doing errands for older people. He went on from there to work as a DJ and collected for charities. Since then, he has gone on to the more serious business of raising money for many Ramsgate and Thanet charities.
1967 started with raising money for a minibus. This has gone on through the years from helping charities as a DJ, raising money for various established and not so established charities. A lot of his charity work was for helping to raise money for children going to US for treatment; £2000 for Demelza House and babies breathing monitors.
Graham joined the ranks of kind and generous people who helped QEQM and the hospice to raise money for Intensive care, Minster Ward, Special Care Baby Unit and the Baby Alfie Appeal.
He also helped to raise money for local football teams. The societies for Leukaemia, Diabetes, Air Ambulance and many others.
His daughter Sheena joined his business, and after her his grandson Josh, both are now running the business with some help from semi-retired Graham.
Josh was recognised for his help to parents who have lost a child. He was nominated for a Bereavement Worker category in the Butterfly Awards by the charity Finley’s Footsteps.
After his Mayor’s Certificate was hung in his office, I received a visit at The Custom House from Graham showing me the photo of him collecting his Certificate from me as Mayor. I thought this was hilarious as I was in two monthly Funeral Directors Magazines with Graham collecting his award. How many other past Mayors can say they have achieved this?
My thanks go to Graham Twyman and many others like him who have strived to keep our community bolstered up by their selfless help for charities.
My grateful thanks to all of you.
Written by:
Councillor Pat Moore
Deputy Mayor of Ramsgate
Councillor for Newington Ward