At a time when it feels like all we hear about is anger, division, and upheaval, I could not have asked for a more uplifting antidote than Ramsgate’s wonderful St George’s Day parade in the sunshine.
Every year the parade is a joyful celebration of Ramsgate at its very best: welcoming, colourful, creative, and full of the community spirit that makes our town such a special place to live. Starting, fittingly, at the beautiful St George’s Church, we wound our way through the streets with giants and a dragon, music and costumes, and families lining the pavements to watch and cheer. Afterwards, people came together for a free community lunch, shared food, and enjoyed each other’s company. There was a real sense of pride and excitement in the air.
What’s so special about Ramsgate’s St George’s Day parade is that it’s not something put on for the community; it is something created by the community. People of all ages took part, from the very youngest children proudly walking alongside parents and grandparents, to our local Ukrainian community, and long-standing local groups who return year after year to help keep these traditions alive. That continuity is really reassuring, and a reminder that even in uncertain times some of the best things about Thanet remain stronger than ever.
St George’s Day has always felt special in Ramsgate, but our message of unity and togetherness feels particularly important after a year in which our national flag has been used by some to sow division and instil fear. St George may be our patron saint, but he wasn’t born here. His story reminds us that belonging is about more than birthplace or background, but about the values we live by: courage, service, and standing up for others. Whether you were born here or drawn here, this amazing event reveals the real meaning of patriotism: pride in our country, our community, and our local traditions, and a commitment to looking out for each other.
This year’s celebration also marked an important step forward for Ramsgate, with the first phase of Labour’s Pride in Place funding now signed off by the government. This programme will deliver £20 million of long-term investment into Ramsgate over the next decade; a serious commitment that reflects a belief that towns like ours deserve not just warm words, but real backing.
This funding is about strengthening what already makes Ramsgate special — our creativity, our energy, and our strong community networks — while also addressing challenges that have been allowed to build up for far too long after more than decade of austerity and neglect. It means we can support local projects, improve facilities, invest in our public spaces, and help our town centre to thrive. It is about giving Ramsgate the tools to shape its own future.
Pride in Place also forms part of a wider programme of investment across Thanet that will breathe new life into our community: £270,000 for new playgrounds, £1.5 million in additional Pride in Place funding for public projects, and new breakfast clubs, nurseries, and upgrades to locals schools and NHS facilities like QEQM hospital and the new Thanet Health Hub.
One of the first major successes of the Ramsgate Pride in Place project has been saving local youth centre Pie Factory Music from being sold off by Kent County Council. With support from Thanet District Council, Pride in Place funding has been used to secure the future of a centre that is one of the last remaining safe havens for young people in Ramsgate.
This is something I fought hard for and is exactly the kind of investment that makes a real difference: supporting the next generation, strengthening opportunity, and keeping important local spaces alive.
St George’s Day is, in many ways, a celebration of courage. But it is also a celebration of togetherness and the ties that bind us all, even in an era of global upheaval and the rise of shallow populist politics. Even in troubled times our capacity to come together remains undimmed, which is why I am more optimistic than ever about what we can achieve in the years ahead, with the support Ramsgate and the whole of Thanet deserves.
This article first appeared in the Isle of Thanet Gazette