What is a shelter? For children it can be a place to have fun, run around and hide in and have a picnic. It's a place to stop and rest, look out over the sea, let one's thoughts drift, switch off and be relaxed. It’s a safe place to take time to recover in after the walk to get there, as health problems take some getting over, shelter to shelter, or as I did, in order to get well, bench to bench. It's good to be able to think I'm making progress, to look back and see what's been achieved and how well I’m doing.
Courting: that's the old word for meeting up, somewhere to be alone with a new friend. A good place to sit out of the strong winds we get, or soak up the weak winter sun, feel it on your face and look forward to Spring.
Sitting in the shelter with your dog and meeting new people who say hi to the dog and the joy of having a natter about stuff! Complaining, putting the world to rights, knowing what you would do if you were in charge! I've had many good natters with people I've never seen again. I'm sure we all felt better for putting the world and Ramsgate to rights.
The Ramsgate Society have amazing volunteers who do a great amount of work looking after the shelters with T.L.C. They are people who care enough to work on the structures and not just looking at them. It is good to have workers who can put paint on the wood and do all the things that need to be done before that stage is reached. Preparation makes the job easier.
Volunteering is an excellent way of making new friends, learning or teaching the skills that you have and may not have used for yonks - my friend's expression they have used for years. Helping others using your experience of life can be rewarding. There’s a feel-good factor about helping others: that's how I feel when I do my bit.
Unfortunately, there are a small group of people who do not respect the shelters and leave their litter laying around and on several occasions the glass panels have even been smashed.
Most people like me can't comprehend WHY they feel the need to smash glass in or around the shelter or on the footpath or the promenade? It's the same with litter, we have bins all around. Don't take your domestic household rubbish and fill a bin up. If you are able to take a can, a bottle or whatever out with you and there is no bin, then take it home or look for a bin.
The Eastcliff and Westcliff are lucky to have volunteer groups who take care of each side. They are out there all year round working away, taking care of the plants, cleaning up litter by people too weak to put their rubbish in a bin. These volunteers like to see the shelters and the gardens looking good. If you feel like helping, get in touch with them, have a laugh with others, even if you're not a gardener. Any help with a paint brush would be good or helping to clear up every little bit of litter adds up to the bigger picture. On the Westcliff, a few of the shelters have had their benches painted in bright colours, which is good on the eye on a dull day. Could you help to paint and work with the volunteers? Then get in touch.
The Ramsgate Society Secretary is the person to get in touch with to offer your help with the shelters. Send them an email at
news@ramsgate-society.org.uk. There are 14 shelters that need looking after: five on the Eastcliff and nine on the Westcliff.
Vandalism: I think boredom is a poor excuse for this. When I mentioned the problems to the Police, they said if you see damage or drug related behaviour, report it to them online at (
www.kent.police.uk/report) or phone 101. If the problem is not reported they won't know about the issue. However, if the problem is reported again and again, they will do something about stopping any future damage. In many of the shelters, the glass has been broken so many times that it was replaced with metal sheets, which is a real shame.
The volunteers in all parts of Ramsgate do their best and without them I feel it would be in a sorry state. My children always had paper in their pockets which was either put in the bin or ended up in the washing machine when I forgot to empty their pockets. Let's teach our youngsters to look after their town. The less spent on repairs after vandalism, the more we all benefit.
The shelters are part of our seaside town and are places to sit and rest. It would be sad to let them disappear. Please keep an eye on them and report any problems that you see!